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This is a general informational announcement and is not a promotion. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. The information on this page may be outdated. For legal terms applicable to Securities Trading, please refer to the Terms of Use and the Securities Trading Product Terms. This promotion is not available to users in the United States, United Kingdom, European Economic Area, or other restricted jurisdictions. Securities trading services are subject to jurisdictional eligibility requirements. Fellow Binancians, Binance has launched the U.S. Stock Transfer Rewards Program for Binance Stocks users. Eligible participants who transfer their US stock holdings from an external broker into Binance may be subject to receive up to 12,000 USDC in reimbursements, and a USDC transfer bonus, subject to a 300,000 USDC total pool allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Activity Period: 2026-08-11 08:00 (UTC) to 2026-09-30 23:59 (UTC) Transfer Now Eligibility: All users who successfully complete Binance identity verification (KYC) who successfully transfer U.S. stocks into Binance during the Activity Period are eligible. Eligible assets: U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs transferred from an external broker to Binance. How to Participate: Step 1: Submit a transfer-out instruction at your delivering broker and obtain the proof of delivering account ownership.Step 2: Submit a stock transfer-in request on Binance through [Funding] - [Transfer Stocks] - [Transfer In]. Check the detailed tutorial here.Step 3: After the stocks are credited to Binance, both transfer fee reimbursement* and transfer bonus* may apply until the reward pool is fully allocated. Reward Structure: Please note: Your reward tier is determined exclusively by the USD equivalent value of your first eligible stock transferred in to Binance. Eligible User’s First Transfer-In Value During the Activity Period(USD Equivalent)Transfer Fee Reimbursement Cap Per Eligible User(inUSDC Token Voucher)Transfer Bonus Per Eligible User(in USDC Token Voucher)Maximum Total Rewards Per Eligible User(in USDC Token Voucher)≥ $2,00020050250≥ $10,000500150650≥ $30,00015002001,700≥ $150,00030006003,600≥ $400,00050001,0006,000≥ $1,000,00010,0002,00012,000 Important Notes: First-Come, First-Served: All rewards are subject to a 300,000 USDC equivalent total rewards pool. Rewards will be distributed on a strict first-come, first-served basis based on the time the stocks are successfully credited to Binance. The program may end early if the total pool is fully allocated.Value Calculation: Users’ reward tier is determined by the value snapshot of the stocks immediately preceding the confirmation of their first stock transfer-in request. Subsequent transfers will neither increase their reward tier nor be eligible for rewards.Transfer Fee Reimbursements*: Users executing a first-time asset transfer who meet the applicable tier requirements are eligible for a transfer fee reimbursement. The transfer fee reimbursement will be calculated based on the number of U.S. stock symbols successfully settled in the user's initial successful transfer. A flat reimbursement rate of 150 USDC per ticker symbol will be provided, provided that the total amount does not exceed the maximum reimbursement cap of the corresponding transfer value tier. Please note that inbound transfers originating from Interactive Brokers (IBKR) qualify for the transfer bonus only and are not eligible for transfer fee reimbursements.Each user is entitled to the transfer fee reimbursement only once.The first-time transfer USDC bonus and the transfer fee reimbursement are two distinct benefits; eligible users may claim both concurrently upon satisfying the respective conditions.U.S. equity transfers generally require at least 14 business days to complete. Users are encouraged to submit their transfer requests as early as possible. If the assets fail to settle within the program period due to the processing timelines of the delivering broker or third parties, the user will not be eligible for the transfer-related rewards. Transfer Bonus*:Users may freely hold or trade the transferred stocks after they are credited to Binance.To qualify for the bonus, users must not transfer out any of the stocks included in the Activity or sell and withdraw the equivalent amount of stocks within 21 days after they are credited to Binance. If any transfer-out or withdrawal occurs during this period, Binance will cancel the user’s transfer bonus eligibility. Terms and Conditions: These terms and conditions (“Activity Terms”) govern users’ participation in the activity above (“Activity”). By participating in this Activity, users agree to these Activity Terms, and the following additional terms: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Activity Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Notice; all of which are incorporated by reference into these terms and conditions. In the case of any inconsistency or conflict between these Activity Terms, and any other incorporated terms, the provisions of these Activity Terms shall prevail, followed by the following in this order of precedence, and to the extent of such conflict: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Activity Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Notice.Only verified users who successfully complete a Stocks transfer during the Activity Period will be eligible for rewards. Transfers that fail due to incorrect account information, rejection by the original broker, unsupported stocks, account restrictions, or other third-party reasons will not be eligible. Please allow at least 14 business days from the processing day for the transfer to be fully completed, the timeline is heavily dependent on each broker's processing speed. Eligible users will receive an email and/or in-mail with updates on their final transfer status. Therefore, to be eligible for rewards, users should plan their transfer requests in advance. Users should ensure that all information provided is accurate and matches their delivering broker account records exactly. Any discrepancies in names, account numbers, DTC numbers, stock symbols, quantities, or other details will result in transfer failure. Both the delivering and receiving accounts must be registered under the same legal name. Third-party transfers are not permitted under DTC rules. Submitting a request does not guarantee that the transfer will be completed. All requests are subject to verification and approval by both the delivering and receiving brokers. Requests submitted with incomplete or incorrect information will be rejected.Distribution:Transfer Fee Reimbursements and USDC Transfer Bonuses will be distributed as USDC token vouchers to eligible users by 2026-10-30.Eligible users refer to the ones who completed transfers, and passed the review during the Activity Period.Eligible users will be able to log in and redeem their token vouchers via Profile > Rewards Hub.All token vouchers will expire within 21 days after distribution. Eligible users should claim their vouchers before the expiration date, and no replacement will be provided. Learn how to redeem a Binance voucher.Please note that the actual value received by a user is subject to change due to market fluctuation.Final results are not negotiable nor transferable.Once the available 300,000 USDC equivalent distribution pool has been allocated to users, no further distribution will be provided notwithstanding that an eligible user may have completed an eligible transfer.Transfer Fee Reimbursements*: Users executing a first-time asset transfer who meet the applicable tier requirements are eligible for a transfer fee reimbursement. The transfer fee reimbursement will be calculated based on the number of U.S. stock symbols successfully settled in the user's initial successful transfer. A flat reimbursement rate of 150 USDC per ticker symbol will be provided, provided that the total amount does not exceed the maximum reimbursement cap of the corresponding transfer value tier. Please note that inbound transfers originating from Interactive Brokers (IBKR) qualify for the transfer bonus only and are not eligible for transfer fee reimbursements.Each user is entitled to the transfer fee reimbursement only once.The first-time transfer USDC bonus and the transfer fee reimbursement are two distinct benefits; eligible users may claim both concurrently upon satisfying the respective conditions.U.S. equity transfers generally require at least 14 business days to complete. Users are strongly advised to submit their transfer requests as early as possible. If the assets fail to settle within the promotional period due to the processing timelines of the delivering broker or third parties, the user will not be eligible for the transfer-related rewards of this campaign. Transfer Bonus*:Users may freely hold or trade the transferred stocks after they are credited to Binance.To qualify for the bonus, users must not transfer out any of the stocks included in the Activity or sell and withdraw the equivalent amount of stocks the equivalent amount of stocks within 21 days after they are credited to Binance. If any transfer-out or withdrawal occurs during this period, Binance will cancel their transfer bonus eligibility.Binance reserves the right to disqualify a user’s eligibility if the account is involved in any dishonest behavior (e.g., wash trading, illegally bulk account registrations/logins, self-dealing, or market manipulation, or submitting forged transfer fee documentation). Binance further reserves the right to disqualify any participants who tamper with Binance program code, or interfere with the operation of Binance program code with other software.Binance reserves the right at any time in its sole and absolute discretion to determine and/or amend or vary these terms and conditions without prior notice, including but not limited to canceling, extending, terminating, or suspending these activities, the eligibility terms and criteria, the selection and number of reward recipients, and the timing of any act to be done, and all participants shall be bound by these amendments.There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-08-11 Disclaimer: Nest Trading Limited acts as your introducing broker and routes your orders for Securities to its clearing broker partner, Alpaca Securities LLC, for execution, clearing, settlement and custody. Binance does not handle or custody your Securities. Securities are subject to high market and liquidity risk and price volatility (particularly outside traditional market hours). The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. Past performance is not a reliable predictor of future performance. Before trading, you should make an independent assessment of the appropriateness of the transaction in light of your own objectives and circumstances, including the risks and potential benefits. Consult your own advisers, where appropriate. This information should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Binance may receive payment for order flow remuneration for directing your orders. To learn more about how to protect yourself, visit our Responsible Trading page. For more information, see our Terms of Use, Securities Trading Product Terms and Risk Warning. Binance ADGM entities are regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) as follows: (1) Nest Exchange Limited is recognised as a Recognised Investment Exchange (Derivatives), with a stipulation to Operate a Multilateral Trading Facility; (2) Nest Clearing and Custody Limited is recognised as a Recognised Clearing House, with a stipulation to Provide Custody and operating a Central Securities Depository; (3) Nest Trading Limited is authorised to carry out the following Regulated Activities: (i) Dealing in Investments as Principal; (ii) Dealing in Investments as Agent; (iii) Arranging Deals in Investments; (iv) Managing Assets; (v) Providing Money Services; and (vi) Arranging Custody.
How does USDC, the world's largest regulated stablecoin, move across the WalletConnect Network? This article looks at where and how USDC is actually used onchain. With $155.9B moved across more than a million transactions in 2026 alone, USDC has become the connective tissue of the onchain economy.
Two stories in one: institutional scale and organic breadthThe headline number of $155.9B in Total Network Volume (TNV) is striking, but the composition behind it is just as interesting. USDC volume flows through a set of institutional custody wallets and retail wallets. This is a powerful signal in its own right: institutions moving serious size are choosing to settle in USDC over the WalletConnect Network and users are transacting daily in USDC.
Even excluding institutional flow, the network metrics are strong: $6.94 billion in USDC volume across 1.06 million transactions. The network isn't just carrying a few institutional transfers, but also over a million everyday USDC transactions from self-custodial users around the world.
USDC on the network is, above all, a DeFi assetUSDC volume goes overwhelmingly into decentralized finance.
Institutional money movement and retail activity in DeFi account for $149.79B in USDC moved across the network.
Prediction markets and AI agents came second at $4.51B, followed by interoperability at $929M and wallets and custody at $444M. Payments and onboarding was also a key category with $197M in USDC TNV.
The takeaway is that USDC is the asset that users and institutions move, trade, and bridge.
Why are everyday users and institutions alike using USDC?In the European Economic Area (EEA), USDC is issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS, an e-money institution authorized by France's ACPR, as an e-money token under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation — subject to MiCA's safeguarding, white-paper disclosure, and at-par redemption requirements.
That same emphasis on safety carries through to how USDC is backed: USDC is 100% backed by highly liquid cash and cash-equivalent assets, with holdings that equal or exceed the amount in circulation, is redeemable 1:1 for US dollars and is attested to monthly.
In July 2026, Circle received approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., a national trust bank operating under the name Circle National Trust. This converted the conditional approval granted in December 2025 into a final approval. The move brings Circle National Trust under direct federal oversight by the OCC, the primary regulator for national banks and national trust banks, beginning with fiduciary digital asset custody services for Circle and its affiliates and with reserve management planned as a future capability of the trust bank.
The GENIUS Act, signed into law on July 18, 2025, creates a federal framework requiring stablecoin issuers to hold reserves in safe assets and comply with banking-style regulations. When it takes effect in January 2027, it will give stablecoin holders a statutory priority claim to an issuer's required reserves ahead of other creditors.
That clarity is already translating into growth. Visa is now live with their pilot, deploying stablecoin capabilities via Visa Direct in 195 countries, settling in USDC.USDC supply grew to roughly $78 billion by Q1 2026, driven by institutional demand for regulated assets.
Together, MiCA compliance in Europe and a federally chartered trust bank in the U.S. give everyday users a stablecoin issued and overseen under comprehensive regulatory frameworks that closely resemble those governing traditional financial institutions.
The wallets powering USDC activityMore than $155.9 billion USDC moved through wallets like Fireblocks, MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Tangem, SafePal, and Uniswap Wallet in H1 2026. Binance Wallet, Ledger Live, OKX Wallet, Bitget Wallet, and TokenPocket round out the top ten.
A stablecoin with global reachUSDC activity on the network spans major regions worldwide. The US leads by volume with $143 billion, followed by Singapore ($4.61B), Japan ($539M), the UAE ($468M), and Hong Kong ($441M) — a top five that correlates with a map of the world's most active digital-asset hubs.
Volume and transaction counts tell different stories here too. The United States also leads in transaction count (129,729), but Japan is close behind (114,854) despite representing a tiny fraction of total volume (0.35%). This is evidence of a large, active retail base transacting in smaller amounts. France (52,246) and Germany (48,413) round out the transaction-count leaders, reinforcing that these are geographies with deep retail USDC adoption even where average ticket sizes are modest. Singapore, the UAE, and Hong Kong, by contrast, show far fewer transactions relative to their volume, implying institutional activity rather than everyday retail use.
Where USDC lives: the multichain pictureEthereum Mainnet remains USDC's center of gravity by value, carrying $149.51 billion in volume.
Arbitrum One is a strong second at $3.29 billion, confirming its role as the network's DeFi stronghold - Arbitrum has spent the cycle appealing to native DeFi users, and that liquidity and trading activity is what's fueling its USDC volume.
Solana's $1.32 billion across nearly 80,000 transactions shows USDC's multichain reach extends well beyond the EVM, and newer chains like Monad are already registering meaningful flow.
Base boasts 366,864 transactions, leading every chain in USDC transaction count. This high transaction count reflects smaller average transfer sizes on Base than on other chains.
Polygon’s story is shaped by payments infrastructure, with $108M in TNV. Polygon has been evolving from a scaling solution into a global payments infrastructure company focused on moving money entirely on-chain, built around its "Open Money Stack" connecting wallets, compliance, and payment rails. Visa, Meta, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton have all tapped into that infrastructure, and that institutional payment-rail activity is what's driving Polygon's USDC volume.
The majority stablecoinFinally, how does USDC stack up against the broader stablecoin volume on the network? It's the majority asset on both counts: 56.1% of all headline stablecoin volume ($155.9B of $277.9B) and 51.4% of non-institutional, or organic, stablecoin volume ($6.94B of $13.51B).
In organic flow, USDC sits at nearly the same amount as all other stablecoins combined - including sUSDS and USDT - meaning one in every two organic stablecoin dollars moving across the WalletConnect Network is a USDC dollar!
WalletConnect powering USDC’s movementWalletConnect is a neutral, open network connecting millions of users, thousands of institutions, hundreds of wallets, and hundreds of chains. It is exactly the infrastructure a multi-chain asset like USDC needs to move seamlessly across Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and beyond.
In 2025 alone, the network processed over $400 billion in volume with 119% year-over-year growth, and is already embedded in fintech stacks like Stripe, Coinbase Commerce, and MoonPay, giving USDC reach well beyond crypto-native apps.
WalletConnect Pay and stablecoin payments72% of payment volume across the WalletConnect Network is now in stablecoins, with USDC at the center. On Base, WalletConnect Pay processed over $2.5 billion in Q1 2026 alone, on a chain where USDC makes up over $4.2 billion of its $4.725 billion stablecoin supply. WalletConnect Pay's first live deployment, with Moneda, launched on Base.
The bottom lineThe H1 2026 data paints a consistent picture. USDC on the WalletConnect Network is trusted by custody platforms moving nine-figure sums as well individual users with millions of transactions spanning MetaMask users in Japan, Ledger users in Singapore, and Base users across the world.
It is overwhelmingly used in DeFi today, with stablecoin payments still early days, and that gap is precisely where the next wave of growth lies. As onchain payments infrastructure matures, the rails, the wallets, and the users are already in place.
Methodology for volume figures and transaction data: Figures cover H1 2026 (data from Jan 1 2026 onward).
Stablecoin classification per DefiLlama-derived flag (>$25M market cap, snapshot 2026-02-15).
Circle Ventures, an affiliate of Circle Internet Financial, LLC, has invested in WalletConnect.
USDC is issued by regulated affiliates of Circle. See Circle’s list of regulatory authorizations at circle.com/legal/licenses.
Reference to any specific company, product, service, or website of any third party does not constitute an implied or express endorsement, recommendation, favoring or validation by Circle. The content presented is intended for informational purposes only. Reliance upon any content or information presented is at the sole discretion of the audience; Circle shall not be liable for any damage or loss relating to use of, or reliance upon, any such content or information presented. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Circle.
This is a general announcement. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Fellow Binancians, Binance Loans is thrilled to launch the August Flexible Loan Challenge! During the Promotion Period, opt in to the challenge and create a new Binance Flexible Loan borrowing USDT, USDC or ACE to compete for ACE token voucher rewards and a Flexible Loan Interest-Free voucher*. Promotion Period: 2026-08-11 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-08-31 23:59 (UTC) Promotion A: Place a New Flexible Loan to Share 500,000 ACE Rewards in Token Vouchers During the Promotion Period, eligible users who complete the following steps will be ranked by their Net Daily Average Loan Amount to win rewards: Opt in on the campaign landing page;Place a new Flexible Loan order borrowing USDT, USDC or ACE; and Maintain a Net Daily Average Loan Amount* above 200 USDT equivalent Reward Mechanism: The top-ranked users will receive token voucher rewards after the Promotion Period according to the reward mechanism in the table below. Eligible Users’ Rankings by Daily Average Loan AmountACE Token Voucher Reward per Eligible User Number of Eligible Winners1st - 20th Places7200 ACE2021st - 220th Places1030 ACE200221st - 1,220th Places150 ACE1,000 Promotion B: Place a New Flexible Loan Order to Get an Interest-Free Voucher During the Promotion Period, the first 4,000 eligible users who complete the following steps will each receive one Flexible Loan Interest-Free Voucher with the terms in the table below: Opt in on the campaign landing page; and Place a new Flexible Loan order with Net Daily Average Loan Amount above 200 USDT equivalent in USDT, USDC or ACE. Interest-Free Voucher Applicable Borrow AmountInterest-Free Loan Duration ApplicableMax. Loan Interest Amount Deductible per Voucher500 USDC7 days3 USDC Note: Rewards are limited and given on a first-come, first-served basis based on the opt-in date. Only the first 4,000 eligible users will receive the Interest-Free Voucher. Register Now to Earn Rewards! Please Note *Net Daily Average Liability is calculated as the sum of the user's daily outstanding Flexible Loan liability (in USDT equivalent) divided by the total number of days in the Promotion Period. Only new Flexible Loan orders placed during the Promotion Period are counted. Any repayments of existing and new USDT, USDC or ACE loans made during the Promotion Period will be deducted from the calculation.Net Daily Average Loan Amount = Sum of eligible Loan position daily snapshot during the Promotion Period / 21 daysACE value will be calculated using the ACE/USDT price recorded at each snapshot time during the Promotion Period. Both Promotion A and Promotion B require users to maintain a Net Daily Average Loan Amount of at least 200 USDT equivalent to be eligible for rewards.A single user may qualify for rewards from both Promotion A and Promotion B simultaneously, provided all respective conditions are met.Only master accounts are eligible for this promotion. Sub-accounts are not eligible. Guides and Related Materials What is Binance Flexible Loan and Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is a Binance Flexible Loan Interest-Free Voucher and How to Use It Terms & Conditions Only users who confirm participation on the campaign page and complete account verification will be eligible for rewards from the Promotions.The Promotions are only available to users who are eligible to use Binance Flexible Rate Loans, and may not be available or may be restricted in certain jurisdictions or regions, or to certain users, depending on legal and regulatory requirements. Terms and Conditions for Binance Flexible Rate Loan apply.Only new Flexible Loan orders placed during the Promotion Period are eligible. Existing orders placed before the Promotion Period will not be counted.Promotion:Only new Binance Flexible Rate Loan order(s) applied during the Promotion Period are eligible. Any repayment amount made by a user in respect of a Binance Flexible Rate Loan order made during the Promotion Period will be subtracted from the eligible loan amount when it comes to eligibility and rewards calculation.Case Study:User A borrowed 1,500 USDC on 2026-08-11, and maintained the 1,500 USDC borrowing until the end of 2026-08-31 without any repayment of USDC, the Net Daily Average Loan Amount will be 1,500 USDC.User B borrowed 10,000 USDC on 2026-08-11, and repaid the 9,000 USDC borrowing on 2026-08-13, the daily average loan amount will be (10,000 * 2 + 1,000 * 19) / 21 = 1,857.1 USDC. Rewards:Promotion A: Token voucher rewards will be distributed to eligible users by 2026-09-25 via the Rewards Hub. Token vouchers are valid for 30 days from the date of distribution.Promotion B: The first 4,000 eligible users will each receive one Flexible Loan Interest-Free voucher. Interest-Free vouchers will be distributed to eligible users by 2026-09-25 via the Rewards Hub. Token vouchers are valid for 30 days from the date of distribution. For more information, please refer to this FAQ: “What is Binance Flexible Rate Loan Interest-free Voucher and How to Use It”.To use the voucher, users must apply it before taking out their next USDC Flexible Rate Loan. Vouchers cannot be applied after the loan is taken.Loan interest within the maximum Flexible Rate Loan Interest amount will be deducted from the total liability upon repayment. Any Flexible Rate Loan Interest which exceeds the maximum Flexible Rate Loan Interest amount (as set out in the table above) is payable by the user, and this excess will be added to the Flexible Rate Loan liability balance.Early repayment before the end of the Interest-free period will reduce the waived interest amount, which will be calculated only up to the repayment date.If a voucher is not claimed before its expiry, then it will be void and no replacement voucher nor other Reward will be provided.Binance shall not be liable for any losses or damages users may incur as a result of their participation in the Promotions and/or use of the Binance Flexible Loan services.Binance reserves the right to disqualify any participants who tamper with Binance program code, or interfere with the operation of Binance program code with other software.Binance reserves the right to disqualify any participants that, in its reasonable opinion, are acting fraudulently or not in accordance with any applicable terms and conditions.Binance reserves the right to disqualify loan orders that are deemed to be wash transactions, illegal bulk account registrations, self-dealing, or display signs of manipulation, etc.Binance reserves the right to cancel or amend the Promotion or Promotion Rules at its sole discretion.Additional Promotion terms and conditions can be accessed here.There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-08-10 USDC is an e-money token issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS (https://www.circle.com/). USDC’s whitepaper is available here. You may contact Circle using the following contact information: +33(1)59000130 and [email protected]. Holders of USDC have a legal claim against Circle SAS as the EU issuer of USDC. These holders are entitled to request redemption of their USDC from Circle SAS. Such redemption will be made at any time and at par value.
This is a general announcement. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Terms and conditions apply. Fellow Binancians, Think you know where the market is headed? Put your knowledge to the test in our latest Binance Discord challenge for a chance to share a 2,100 USDC prize pool! Over seven days, we'll feature one of the Magnificent 7 stocks each day. Submit your pick for that stock's closing price in Binance Discord, discuss your market outlook with the community, and you could be among the closest users to the official closing price. Activity Period: 2026-08-10 08:00 (UTC) to 2026-08-19 23:59 (UTC) Pick the closing price of Nvidia, Tesla, Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. Each featured stock will have its own 24-hour submission window. Once the next day's stock is announced, submissions for the previous stock will close. How to Participate: During the Activity Period, complete all of the following steps to be eligible: Join the Binance Global Discord.Visit #stocks-hub every day during the Activity Period to see the featured stock of the day.Submit your closing price pick in the #stocks-pick channel using the following format:!stock Example: !stock $125Trade at least $50 in Binance Stocks and/or bStocks during the Activity Period.Join the conversation in #stocks-talks and share your thoughts on the featured stock with the community. Important Notes: Users must submit their registered Binance UID in channel #register-buid-stocks so they can participate in the campaign. The campaign is not available to users from certain jurisdictions. This is not an offer or solicitation to trade any financial product. This campaign is not available to users in jurisdictions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area (all member states), Hong Kong, Singapore, and the jurisdictions on Binance's prohibited list. Reward Structure: Every day, the 20 users whose picks match or are closest to the official closing price of the featured stock and traded at least $50 during the Activity Period will each receive 15 USDC. Total Campaign Prize Pool: 2,100 USDC Rewards will be distributed by 2026-09-15 after the campaign ends. Eligible winners will receive a 15 USDC token voucher in their Binance Rewards Hub and must redeem it within 30 days. Unredeemed vouchers will expire after the redemption deadline. Activity Rules: Each featured stock has its own separate 24-hour submission window. Only the first pick submitted by each user for each stock will be considered. Any additional submissions for the same stock will not be counted.Once a new stock is announced in #stocks-hub, picks for the previous stock will immediately close and will no longer be counted.Users must be from an eligible jurisdiction and complete the minimum $50 Binance Stocks and/or bStocks trading requirement to be eligible for rewards. Terms & Conditions: This campaign is not open to residents or citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area (all member states), Hong Kong, Singapore, or any other jurisdiction on Binance's List of Prohibited Countries. For the avoidance of doubt, any content, posts, entries, or submissions made by users from these jurisdictions will not be counted, considered, or eligible for any reward, recognition, or prize associated with this campaign. Binance reserves the right to verify the jurisdiction of any participant and to disregard any entry at its sole discretion.These terms and conditions (“Promotion Terms”) govern users’ participation in the promotion above (“Promotion”). By participating in this Promotion, users agree to these Promotion Terms, and the following additional terms: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Notice; all of which are incorporated by reference into these terms and conditions. In the case of any inconsistency or conflict between these Promotion Terms, and any other incorporated terms, the provisions of these Promotion Terms shall prevail, followed by the following in this order of precedence, and to the extent of such conflict: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Notice.Users should have completed identity verification to qualify for rewards in the Promotion. The products or features referred to above may not be available in your region. Users are responsible for informing themselves about and observing any restrictions and/or requirements imposed with respect to the access to and use of Binance services in each country from which the services are accessed.Only users in eligible countries are able to participate in this activity. Rewards will be distributed by 2026-09-15 on Binance Rewards Hub. Eligible users will be able to login and redeem their token voucher rewards via Profile > Rewards Hub. The validity period for the token voucher is set at 30 days from the day of distribution. Binance reserves the right to disqualify a user’s reward eligibility if the account is involved in any dishonest behavior (e.g., wash trading, illegally bulk account registrations/logins, self dealing, or market manipulation). Binance further reserves the right to disqualify any participants who tamper with Binance program code, or interfere with the operation of Binance program code with other software.Binance reserves the right at any time in its sole and absolute discretion to determine and/or amend or vary these terms and conditions without prior notice, including but not limited to canceling, extending, terminating or suspending this Promotion, the eligibility terms and criteria, the selection and number of winners, and the timing of any act to be done, and all Participants shall be bound by these amendments. There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-08-10 Trade on-the-go with Binance’s crypto trading app (iOS/Android) Find us on TelegramWhatsAppXFacebookInstagramDiscord Disclaimer: Nest Trading Limited acts as your introducing broker and routes your orders for Securities to its clearing broker partner, Alpaca Securities LLC, for execution, clearing, settlement and custody. Binance does not handle or custody your Securities. Securities are subject to high market and liquidity risk and price volatility (particularly outside traditional market hours). The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. Past performance is not a reliable predictor of future performance. Before trading, you should make an independent assessment of the appropriateness of the transaction in light of your own objectives and circumstances, including the risks and potential benefits. Consult your own advisers, where appropriate. This information should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Binance may receive payment for order flow remuneration for directing your orders. To learn more about how to protect yourself, visit our Responsible Trading page. For more information, see our Terms of Use, Securities Trading Product Terms and Risk Warning. bStocks Tokenized Securities are classified as Certificates representing certain Financial Instruments (paragraph 92, Schedule 1 to FSMR). bStocks are not stocks or shares and bStocks do not allow holders to directly own a share or stock in the underlying listed company. bStocks do not represent any affiliation with the underlying asset's issuer. bStocks are offered through an Approved Prospectus in the ADGM and are not offered in any other jurisdiction. No public offer is made outside of the ADGM. 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El Dorado, the Latin American fintech platform that has quietly amassed more than 1.15 million users, just added BNB Chain support for USDT and USDC deposits. The integration went live on August 7, giving users across seven countries a new, direct route to park savings in dollar-backed stablecoins without bridging funds from other networks.
What El Dorado actually does El Dorado brands itself as the “SuperApp del Dinero,” which translates roughly to “the money superapp.” The pitch is straightforward: let people in Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay convert their local currencies into USD-backed stablecoins through peer-to-peer trades.
Users can send remittances across borders, save in digital dollars, and trade between local fiat and stablecoins, all within a single app.
Before this BNB Chain integration, El Dorado already supported deposits and withdrawals through Arbitrum, Polygon, TRON, and Celo. Adding BNB Chain means users now have five blockchain networks to choose from when moving stablecoins in and out of the platform.
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The network held roughly $14 billion in stablecoin liquidity as of Q1 2026, making it one of the deeper pools for USDT and USDC transactions.
Why stablecoins matter more in Latin America than almost anywhere else Argentina’s peso lost more than half its purchasing power in 2023 alone. In countries where holding local currency means watching your savings evaporate, a dollar-pegged digital asset accessible through a smartphone isn’t a speculative bet. It’s a savings account.
Traditional wire transfers can take days and eat 5-10% in fees. Stablecoin transfers on networks like BNB Chain settle in seconds for a fraction of a cent.
The BNB Chain angle Previously, someone holding USDT on BNB Chain who wanted to use El Dorado would have needed to bridge those tokens to a supported network first. Eliminating that friction could meaningfully increase the volume of stablecoins flowing through El Dorado from BNB Chain wallets.
BNB’s price didn’t move meaningfully on the news, which aligns with the research indicating market response has been low-key, mostly reflecting growing ecosystem awareness rather than any substantive impact on token prices.
Competitive landscape El Dorado operates in an increasingly crowded space. Platforms like Bitso, Lemon Cash, and Mercado Bitcoin are all vying for the Latin American fintech market. Reserve’s RSV stablecoin gained traction in Venezuela through a similar savings-oriented pitch.
What distinguishes El Dorado is its multi-chain approach and P2P model. Rather than forcing users onto a single network, the platform lets them choose whichever chain offers the best combination of speed, cost, and liquidity for their needs. Adding BNB Chain extends that flexibility further.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Industry analysts project that the cost of the iPhone 18 Pro will surge by nearly 40%, and Apple may adjust its gross margin strategy to ensure stable shipments.
According to TrendForce's latest mobile industry research, rising prices of components led by memory chips have pushed up the overall production cost of Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 series. The research firm estimates that the production cost of the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro in the third quarter will be roughly 38% higher than that of the same model launched in the same period in 2025. In 2027, as memory prices are projected to stay on an upward trajectory, the cost increase for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro may expand further.
2 minutes ago
JPMorgan Chase: Still Bullish on Global Stock Markets, Cyclical Stocks to Lead the Rally
JPMorgan strategists remain bullish on global equities, expecting the rally to broaden in the second half of the year. As corporate earnings and economic activity metrics improve, cyclical stocks are poised to regain leadership and outperform low-volatility shares. The team led by Mislav Matejka wrote in a report that indices will hit new highs in the second half, adding that positioning is far from extreme and the Q2 earnings season has been reassuring. Within cyclical sectors, they focus on banks, luxury goods, construction materials, mining, industrials and cyclical consumer industries, while favoring emerging markets and the eurozone.
2 minutes ago
Elliott Alexander, a member of the Ethereum Foundation, has joined BitPay after being laid off.
Former member of the Ethereum Foundation’s Developer Growth Team, Elliott Alexander, announced in a post that he was recently laid off by the Ethereum Foundation and has now joined crypto payment firm BitPay.
2 minutes ago
Japan and South Korea's stock markets closed higher on Monday.
According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 1363.51 points, or 2.08%, at 66,970.22 on Monday, August 10. South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 0.65% to end at 6,299.66 on the same day; SK Hynix fell 0.14% while Samsung Electronics dropped 0.43%.
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The 'Big Short' Michael Burry No Longer Views Berkshire Hathaway as an Attractive Future Investment
The "Big Short" Michael Burry has stated that his biggest concern about Berkshire Hathaway was that when Warren Buffett eventually steps down, his successor would be too old and not Buffett himself, hence would lack the same patience to wait for the "best pitch". "I believe this concern has materialized," he said. "Looking ahead, I do not consider Berkshire an attractive investment anymore."
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Analysis: Stablecoin market cap has shrunk by nearly $15 billion since May, as liquidity continues to exit the crypto market.
CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated in a post that since May, the total market capitalization of stablecoins has shrunk by nearly $150 billion, falling from roughly $2.8 trillion to $2.66 trillion. He noted that from last October to this May, the total stablecoin market cap remained largely sideways, meaning either no new liquidity entered the crypto market during that period, or the scale of new liquidity was insufficient to drive further growth in stablecoin market capitalization. At present, even if Bitcoin (BTC) can stabilize, market demand has not recovered, and insufficient liquidity is limiting BTC from making another upward breakthrough. Meanwhile, the continuous decline in stablecoin market cap since May reflects not only a lack of new capital in the market, but more likely that existing liquidity is gradually exiting the crypto market. In this scenario, even if BTC temporarily stops its decline, it still faces pressure from insufficient capital demand.
Industry analysts project that the cost of the iPhone 18 Pro will surge by nearly 40%, and Apple may adjust its gross margin strategy to ensure stable shipments.
According to TrendForce's latest mobile industry research, rising prices of components led by memory chips have pushed up the overall production cost of Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 series. The research firm estimates that the production cost of the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro in the third quarter will be roughly 38% higher than that of the same model launched in the same period in 2025. In 2027, as memory prices are projected to stay on an upward trajectory, the cost increase for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro may expand further.
2 minutes ago
JPMorgan Chase: Still Bullish on Global Stock Markets, Cyclical Stocks to Lead the Rally
JPMorgan strategists remain bullish on global equities, expecting the rally to broaden in the second half of the year. As corporate earnings and economic activity metrics improve, cyclical stocks are poised to regain leadership and outperform low-volatility shares. The team led by Mislav Matejka wrote in a report that indices will hit new highs in the second half, adding that positioning is far from extreme and the Q2 earnings season has been reassuring. Within cyclical sectors, they focus on banks, luxury goods, construction materials, mining, industrials and cyclical consumer industries, while favoring emerging markets and the eurozone.
2 minutes ago
Elliott Alexander, a member of the Ethereum Foundation, has joined BitPay after being laid off.
Former member of the Ethereum Foundation’s Developer Growth Team, Elliott Alexander, announced in a post that he was recently laid off by the Ethereum Foundation and has now joined crypto payment firm BitPay.
2 minutes ago
Japan and South Korea's stock markets closed higher on Monday.
According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 1363.51 points, or 2.08%, at 66,970.22 on Monday, August 10. South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 0.65% to end at 6,299.66 on the same day; SK Hynix fell 0.14% while Samsung Electronics dropped 0.43%.
2 minutes ago
The 'Big Short' Michael Burry No Longer Views Berkshire Hathaway as an Attractive Future Investment
The "Big Short" Michael Burry has stated that his biggest concern about Berkshire Hathaway was that when Warren Buffett eventually steps down, his successor would be too old and not Buffett himself, hence would lack the same patience to wait for the "best pitch". "I believe this concern has materialized," he said. "Looking ahead, I do not consider Berkshire an attractive investment anymore."
2 minutes ago
Analysis: Stablecoin market cap has shrunk by nearly $15 billion since May, as liquidity continues to exit the crypto market.
CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated in a post that since May, the total market capitalization of stablecoins has shrunk by nearly $150 billion, falling from roughly $2.8 trillion to $2.66 trillion. He noted that from last October to this May, the total stablecoin market cap remained largely sideways, meaning either no new liquidity entered the crypto market during that period, or the scale of new liquidity was insufficient to drive further growth in stablecoin market capitalization. At present, even if Bitcoin (BTC) can stabilize, market demand has not recovered, and insufficient liquidity is limiting BTC from making another upward breakthrough. Meanwhile, the continuous decline in stablecoin market cap since May reflects not only a lack of new capital in the market, but more likely that existing liquidity is gradually exiting the crypto market. In this scenario, even if BTC temporarily stops its decline, it still faces pressure from insufficient capital demand.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
TLDR: Stablecoin liquidity on Binance is rotating sharply from Tron toward Ethereum-based networks now. Tron’s USDT reserves on Binance fell nearly 50%, dropping from $1.4B to just $709M in two weeks. USDT and USDC inflows into Ethereum both surged sharply and clearly during this 14-day window Binance’s total purchasing power remains stable despite the sharp shift in network composition. Stablecoin liquidity on Binance is shifting between blockchain networks, even as total reserves stay outwardly stable.
Over the past 14 days, netflows to the exchange averaged roughly $87 million daily, sustaining a steady headline picture.
Beneath that surface, capital is moving away from Tron and toward Ethereum, reshaping where stablecoin liquidity actually sits across Binance’s infrastructure.
Tron Outflows Point to a Deepening Liquidity Drain USDT on Tron is experiencing a sharp and persistent drain from Binance. Weekly netflow figures have deteriorated by more than 1,200% compared to the prior period. Daily outflows peaked near $320 million on August 7, marking one of the steepest declines recorded recently.
As a result, Binance’s USDT reserves on Tron have effectively been cut in half. Holdings fell from approximately $1.4 billion to roughly $709 million in about two weeks. This pace of contraction stands out against otherwise stable aggregate stablecoin figures.
The scale of the move suggests coordinated repositioning rather than routine trading activity. Large holders and market makers appear to be pulling collateral off the Tron network specifically. That pattern points toward a broader reallocation rather than an exit from stablecoins altogether.
This divergence sets up a direct contrast with Ethereum-based stablecoin flows. Where Tron liquidity is contracting, Ethereum is absorbing a comparable share of incoming capital. On-chain analyst CryptoOnchain flagged this rotation as the defining feature of the current cycle.
Ethereum-Based Stablecoins Absorb the Reallocated Capital USDT on Ethereum has seen net flows surge 210% week-over-week. Daily inflows have frequently exceeded $180 million during the same 14-day window. USDC displays a similar trajectory, with Binance inflows climbing 114% over the comparable period.
Together, these figures indicate that stablecoin liquidity is not leaving the exchange. Instead, it is concentrating more heavily within Ethereum-based tokens and infrastructure. Binance’s overall purchasing power therefore remains intact despite the network-level turbulence.
Several factors could be driving this preference for Ethereum. Deeper decentralized finance liquidity on Ethereum offers more flexibility for large holders. Broader market infrastructure and settlement options may also be influencing this reallocation decision.
Positioning ahead of Ethereum-centric volatility remains another plausible explanation for the shift. Historically, similar rotations have preceded localized increases in trading activity. When aggregate reserves hold steady while liquidity concentrates on one network, that network often sees heightened short-term activity.
For now, the data points to preparation rather than withdrawal. Stablecoin liquidity appears to be repositioning ahead of the next phase of market activity. Where that capital moves next may determine which network experiences the sharpest near-term volatility.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Solana now has more monthly USDC senders than any other blockchain, with the figure hitting approximately 6 million. That is not a rounding error or a one-month spike. It is the latest data point in a sustained climb that has turned Solana into the closest thing crypto has to a mainstream payments network.
For context, that sender count has grown more than tenfold since late 2023.
The numbers behind the milestone February 2026 was a watershed moment for the network. Stablecoin transaction volume on Solana hit $650 billion that month, a record for any blockchain within a single calendar month. That figure more than doubled the previous peak.
USDC makes up the majority of that stablecoin activity. The network is currently estimated to hold between $8 billion and $12 billion in USDC supply, supported by continuous minting operations that keep liquidity deep and user confidence stable.
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Weekly transaction counts on Solana have crossed 1 billion, underscoring that the 6 million sender figure is not an artifact of a few whales moving large sums. It reflects genuine, broad-based usage across the network.
The use cases driving this volume are notably mundane, in the best possible way. Salary disbursements, peer-to-peer transfers, and retail payments account for a meaningful share of activity.
Why Solana and why now Part of the answer is that USDC itself has matured. Circle’s stablecoin has increasingly become the default dollar-equivalent for on-chain commerce, and payment application developers picking a settlement layer have gravitated toward Solana’s combination of sub-second finality and fees that are measured in fractions of a cent.
Integration with consumer-facing payment applications has also accelerated the trend. Each new app that routes USDC through Solana adds another cohort of senders to the base, many of whom may not even know which blockchain they are using.
The tenfold growth in the sender base since late 2023 roughly tracks with the post-FTX recovery of the Solana ecosystem. After the FTX collapse created significant reputational damage, the network rebuilt its developer community and application layer faster than many observers expected.
What this means for the competitive landscape Ethereum remains the dominant chain for total stablecoin supply and DeFi activity. But Solana’s lead in monthly unique USDC senders points to a divergence in use cases. Ethereum is where large institutional flows and complex smart contracts tend to settle. Solana is where the transaction count lives.
For SOL as an asset, rising network utility generally creates sustained demand for the token, which is used to pay transaction fees. A billion weekly transactions, each consuming a small amount of SOL for fees, creates consistent buy pressure that is structurally different from speculation.
The next thing to watch is whether Solana’s stablecoin dominance in sender count eventually translates into a comparable lead in total stablecoin supply. Right now, Ethereum still holds the largest absolute stock of USDC across all chains.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
In early 2024, euro-backed stablecoins accounted for roughly 88% of all crypto card spending. By July 2026, that number had cratered to about 2%. The dollar didn’t just win this race. It lapped everyone else.
Monthly crypto card spending hit $759 million in July 2026, up from $306 million a year earlier, according to data from Paymentscan highlighted in an a16z crypto analysis. That’s roughly a 2.5x surge in twelve months, with nearly 9 million individual purchases at an average transaction size of about $86.
The dollar stablecoin takeover USDC now commands approximately 58% of all crypto card spend, up from about 48% a year ago. USDT’s climb has been even steeper in relative terms, jumping from around 7% to 26% of the market over the same period.
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Together, the two dollar-pegged tokens account for 84% of crypto card transactions. Stablecoins as a category now represent approximately 73% of all crypto card payments.
Meanwhile, EURe, the euro-backed stablecoin that once dominated the space, has essentially become a rounding error. Its collapse from 88% to 2% market share represents one of the most dramatic reversals in stablecoin adoption history.
Gnosis Chain’s decline and the new chain hierarchy Gnosis Chain was the original infrastructure backbone for crypto card payments, largely because Gnosis Pay built an early system that let users spend EURe directly through self-custodial wallets with licensed euro settlement rails.
That first-mover advantage has evaporated. Gnosis Chain’s share of card volume dropped to roughly 2% in July 2026, mirroring EURe’s decline almost exactly. Optimism now leads all chains with 29% of crypto card spending volume. Solana and Base are tied at 19% each.
MiCA’s role in reshaping the market The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, known as MiCA, has played a significant role in this reshuffling. MiCA created a compliance framework that favored certain stablecoins over others, and USDC, issued by Circle, positioned itself early as a MiCA-compliant option.
That regulatory alignment gave USDC a structural advantage in European markets, which is ironic given that a dollar-denominated token is now the preferred spending instrument in euro-zone economies.
What this means for the payments landscape The $759 million monthly spending figure still represents a tiny fraction of global card payment volumes. A 2.5x increase in a single year suggests crypto cards are moving past the early-adopter phase. With nearly 9 million monthly transactions already flowing through crypto cards, the infrastructure is no longer theoretical.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
With JPYC circulation now exceeding 2 billion yen, attention is shifting toward how that growing supply can support deeper on-chain finance. Yet larger circulation needs sufficient liquidity before JPYC can efficiently connect yen users with DeFi.
That said, CryptoQuant’s analyst XWIN estimates a $1 million pool could process roughly $93,000 while keeping execution costs near 0.5%.
Source: XWIN With the addition of increased liquidity to the tune of $3-5 million, it would then become practical to process larger swaps, vaults, and limited lending.
Additionally, with a $5 million liquidity pool, transaction capacity may be able to grow to nearly $470,000 under the same conditions. It may also take an additional $8-10 million to create a viable opportunity for users to utilize their collateral and institutional traders to trade.
Ethereum liquidity deepens JPYC’s DeFi access That liquidity requirement becomes easier to understand when viewed against a broader shift already unfolding across stablecoin markets. Binance still receives about $87 million in daily net inflows, yet capital is increasingly changing networks rather than leaving.
The TRON [TRX] network represents this shift clearly. Although there are ongoing outflows, the amount of TRON USDT reserves has decreased from $1.4 billion to $709 million. The Ethereum [ETH] network is also seeing some of that rotation. Tether [USDT] inflows into Ethereum were up 210%, while USDC was up 114%.
Source: CryptoQuant This matters for JPYC because USD Coin [USDC] would provide the dollar side of its proposed liquidity pair. As more stablecoin capital rotates to the Ethereum network, JPYC increases its access to both deeper trading and settlement liquidity.
This may ultimately allow for the absorption of larger JPYC/USDC transactions, potentially further solidifying JPYC’s position as a potential on-chain bridge between yen liquidity and global DeFi.
JPYC’s DeFi growth hinges on USDC liquidity Despite JPYC’s growing circulation, its route into global DeFi remains narrow because dollar liquidity is still shallow. The main USDC/JPYC pool holds roughly $275,000, supporting modest trades but limiting larger conversions without higher slippage.
As a result, most activity remains within yen-based transfers instead of flowing toward dollar stablecoins. Thus, even though the supply of JPYC is increasing, this does not necessarily equate to increased efficiency in accessing cross-market opportunities.
Still, deeper USDC liquidity could change that structure by allowing larger two-way conversions at lower costs. If trading volume rises alongside pool depth, yen capital could move more freely into lending and other DeFi markets.
Until then, JPYC offers the connection, but liquidity determines whether that connection can operate meaningfully at scale.
Michael Saylor Releases Bitcoin Tracker Information Again
Strategy founder Michael Saylor has once again shared updates related to Bitcoin Tracker, with the caption "Doing Business." Per historical patterns, Strategy usually discloses its Bitcoin purchase news the day after such posts. However, the firm has not increased its Bitcoin holdings recently; instead, it sold 1,637 BTC last week, bringing its total holdings down to 842,138 BTC.
2 minutes ago
Elon Musk: Starlink could eventually carry more than 50% of global internet traffic, with annual revenue potentially exceeding $1 trillion.
Silicon Valley investor and co-host of *The All-In Podcast*, David Friedberg, said Starlink alone could generate roughly $40 billion in annual revenue, with most of that converting to free cash flow—potentially hitting $30 billion in free cash flow within a year—and Starlink’s market value could reach $1 trillion in 18 months. Elon Musk responded that Starlink’s potential is “far more than that.” As AI and robotics advance, bandwidth demand will surge, with their data transmission needs being orders of magnitude higher than humans’. Even if the communications market only doubles in size, Musk forecasts Starlink will capture at least 25% of the market outside China, corresponding to annual revenue exceeding $500 billion. Long-term, Starlink could carry over 50% of global internet traffic, with annual revenue potentially surpassing $1 trillion, and no obvious barriers to achieving this have been identified so far.
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Crypto influencer Ansem is pumping PUMP: The token is projected to hit a new all-time high and could rank among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization within two years.
Crypto KOL Ansem recently posted that PUMP’s price was $0.001675 when he first wrote about it, and stood at $0.002544 as of his latest update. He forecasts that PUMP will return to its all-time high and rally further. Ansem’s investment thesis is that PUMP ranks among the three most profitable projects in the crypto industry, holding $2 billion in cash. Due to market bias against tokenization, its circulating market cap is around $1 billion, translating to a price-to-earnings ratio below 2.8x. Meanwhile, rising on-chain activity will benefit PUMP. He notes that if tokens issued on its platform deliver leading returns to retail investors in the next cycle, the adoption of its mobile app will provide an additional boost. Ansem projects that PUMP will enter the top 10 by crypto market capitalization within two years.
2 minutes ago
The probability that Bitcoin will rise to $70,000 this month is 31%.
Prediction market platform Polymarket currently assigns a 31% probability to Bitcoin hitting $70,000 in August. Additionally, the platform puts a 6% chance on Bitcoin reaching $75,000, and a 30% probability of it falling to $60,000.
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US and South Korean Stock Price Previews for Monday: Samsung Projected to Open Up Over 2%, US Stocks to Edge Slightly Higher in Pre-Market Trading
During the weekend closure of traditional financial markets, "On-Chain Nasdaq" Trade.xyz uses perpetual contracts to enable continuous trading and real-time price discovery that traditional finance cannot achieve, pricing in the trends of Monday’s U.S. and South Korean stock markets in advance. Most of Trade.xyz’s popular U.S. stock assets trade above their Friday after-hours levels: SpaceX is priced at $135.90, up 1.34% from Friday’s after-hours price of $134.096; Marvell Technology at $220.97, up 1.03% from $218.7; Google at $357.57, up 0.8% from $354.7; Nvidia at $224.59, up 0.35% from $223.8; Intel at $101.93, up 0.24% from $101.68; Micron at $880.58, up 0.07% from $880.00; SanDisk at $1,219.05, down 0.08% from $1,219.98. Current price levels suggest U.S. stocks may see overall strong pre-market volatility on Monday. Popular South Korean stock perpetual contracts also rose: Samsung Electronics is at $167.62, up 2.3% from Friday’s closing reference price of $163.91; SK Hynix is at $1,019.25, up 0.8% from $1,009.
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WSJ: HP and Acer have used ChangXin Memory Technologies chips in devices sold outside the U.S., and are seeking to lock in more supplies for next year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is testing storage chips from Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) across multiple product lines including iPhones and MacBooks, and has entered preliminary supply negotiations with the Chinese chipmaker, aiming to use the chips in some devices sold in China. Sources familiar with the matter said Apple seeks the White House’s approval for the collaboration. Against the backdrop of the AI boom driving tight storage chip supplies and rising costs, Apple has been raising product prices globally; securing a supply source in China could help ease shortages. Current U.S. regulations prohibit companies from transferring technology to CXMT, including sharing technical details and product specifications, so Apple cannot actually order custom chips from the firm, though it can purchase standardized products and negotiate prices. Even if complying with the rules, Apple may still seek support from the Trump administration due to political considerations. Using standardized chips could also force Apple to redesign some products. CXMT’s production capacity is nearly at full load this year, leaving limited room for new international clients. HP and Acer have already used small quantities of CXMT chips in devices sold outside the U.S., and are looking to lock in more supplies next year. Some of CXMT’s product prices are on par with Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung, while certain items are even higher. The company’s second-quarter revenue surged over 8-fold year-over-year, holding a 7% share of the global DRAM market by revenue, and plans to expand its production capacity to more than double current levels by 2028.
TLDR: Crypto card spending reached a record $759M in July 2026, up roughly 2.5x from $306M a year earlier. Nearly 9M crypto card purchases were made in July, with the average transaction size at approximately $86. USDC captured 58% of July crypto card spending, while USDT added 26%, making digital dollars dominant. RedotPay, EtherFi, and KAST generated about 77% of July’s $759M in tracked crypto card spending volume. Crypto payment cards recorded $759 million in monthly spending during July 2026, marking the highest level captured by Paymentscan since tracking began in October 2023. The milestone shows how blockchain-linked balances are increasingly being used through card networks for routine transactions.
🔥BULLISH: Crypto card spending hit a new monthly ATH of $759 million.
That is more than double the level from a year ago. The payments use case is expanding even while most traders are focused on price. pic.twitter.com/xTKdbizhKG
— CryptosRus (@CryptosR_Us) August 9, 2026
According to a16z crypto report based on Paymentscan figures, July spending rose from $306 million a year earlier, representing roughly 2.5 times growth. Volume had remained below $1 million when the dataset began, showing how quickly the payment category expanded within three years.
Crypto Card Spending Climbs as Consumer Transactions Surge Transaction counts rose alongside spending, strengthening the picture of broader consumer use. Nearly 9 million Crypto card purchases were completed in July, compared with about 5.2 million during July 2025.
The average transaction measured approximately $86, indicating that activity was spread across smaller purchases rather than being concentrated only in large-value transfers. That pattern places stablecoin spending closer to everyday commerce, even though the sector remains small against traditional card networks.
RedotPay remained the largest individual program tracked by Paymentscan, generating $395.1 million in July volume. Its spending increased from $266.4 million one year earlier.
EtherFi recorded another $100.3 million, while KAST generated roughly $89.6 million. Together, the three programs represented about 77% of the reported $759 million total.
However, the dataset includes different reporting methods across programs. Paymentscan primarily tracks blockchain transactions, but some figures also come from issuers using off-chain reporting.
RedotPay data, for example, is self-reported. Some Crypto card structures also rely on batched settlements or account top-ups that may not directly match merchant spending.
The network mix has also changed considerably. Gnosis once handled most tracked activity in early 2024, but its share fell to about 2% by July 2026.
Optimism led with roughly 29% of spending, while Solana and Base each represented about 19%. That distribution shows activity spreading across several blockchain networks instead of remaining concentrated on one system.
USDC and USDT Capture 84% of July Crypto Card Spending The currency mix shifted even more dramatically toward dollar-backed stablecoin assets. USDC accounted for approximately 58% of July spending, while USDT represented another 26%.
By comparison, euro-backed EURe controlled about 88% of tracked spending in early 2024. However, its share had fallen to roughly 2% by July 2026, highlighting the growing dominance of digital dollars within crypto card payments.
As a result, most users are effectively spending digital dollars, while merchants continue receiving conventional local currency through existing payment infrastructure. That model connects blockchain balances with standard checkout systems without requiring merchants to accept cryptocurrency directly.
Meanwhile, Visa reported approximately $5.2 billion in stablecoin-linked card volume during 2025, representing 319% year-over-year growth. The company currently supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked programs across over 50 countries, further expanding access to blockchain-funded payments.
Visa also expects the number of supported programs to roughly double during 2026. In addition, its partnership with Stripe-owned Bridge is targeting stablecoin-linked card availability in more than 100 countries by the end of the year.
Despite that rapid expansion, stablecoin-linked cards still represent a small share of global payments. Visa processed approximately $14.2 trillion in total payment volume during 2025, placing the emerging segment in perspective.
Its $5.2 billion in stablecoin-linked card activity accounted for only about 0.04% of that total. Still, July’s record spending level shows that blockchain-funded cards are becoming a more measurable part of everyday payment activity.
Monthly spending with crypto payment cards reached a record $759 million in July 2026, representing the highest level tracked by Paymentscan since October 2023. This surge underscores a growing trend of using blockchain-linked balances for everyday payment transactions.
Spending and Transaction Growth AcceleratePaymentscan reported that crypto card spending more than doubled from $306 million in July 2025, a rise of about 2.5 times year-on-year. When tracking began, the monthly total was below $1 million, highlighting significant category expansion in three years.
Alongside higher spending, the number of purchases also increased substantially. Nearly 9 million crypto card transactions were processed in July, up from 5.2 million during the same month last year.
The average transaction value stood at approximately $86, which indicates that users are making frequent smaller purchases rather than focusing solely on large transfers. Although overall volume is small compared to conventional card networks, stablecoins are being used more frequently for regular consumer spending.
RedotPay, a digital payments provider, led all programs tracked by Paymentscan with $395.1 million in July spending. Its annual volume rose from $266.4 million a year ago.
EtherFi contributed another $100.3 million, while KAST added $89.6 million to the monthly total. Collectively, these three programs accounted for around 77% of July’s $759 million tracked spending.
Reporting methods differ between programs. While Paymentscan primarily tracks blockchain transactions, some projects report figures from centralized, off-chain sources. For example, RedotPay’s data are self-reported, and certain card structures use batched settlements or account top-ups that might not exactly match actual merchant spending.
The share of networks used for settlements has also evolved. Gnosis once dominated with most recorded activity in early 2024, but its participation fell to about 2% by July 2026.
By July 2026, Optimism handled roughly 29% of crypto card payment volume, followed by Solana and Base at about 19% each. This dispersion reflects how usage is now spread among various blockchain platforms.
Provider / NetworkJuly 2026 VolumeJuly 2025 VolumeMarket Share (%)RedotPay$395.1M$266.4M52%EtherFi$100.3M–13%KAST$89.6M–12%Other programs$174.0M–23%Mini dictionary: Paymentscan, a blockchain data analytics service, monitors and reports payment activity for crypto-linked cards by aggregating both on-chain and (in some cases) off-chain transaction data submitted by card issuers.
Stablecoins Dominate Crypto Card SpendingDollar-backed stablecoins played an increasingly prominent role in crypto card payments. USDC, issued by Circle, captured about 58% of July’s total spending, while USDT from Tether accounted for 26%.
Comparatively, the euro-pegged stablecoin EURe represented 88% of tracked card spending in early 2024, but its share dropped sharply to around 2% by July 2026. This trend points to the dominant use of digital dollars in the sector.
Users typically spend digital dollars, but merchants receive payments in their own local currency, thanks to conversion at the point of transaction. This setup enables consumers to access crypto balances while allowing merchants to avoid direct exposure to cryptocurrency volatility.
Dollar-backed stablecoins such as USDC and USDT now comprise 84% of crypto card payments, marking a significant shift from just two years ago when euro-pegged assets led the field.
Visa, one of the world’s largest payment networks, reported $5.2 billion in stablecoin-linked card volume for 2025, growing 319% year-over-year. The company now backs more than 130 stablecoin-linked programs across 50+ countries, with plans to double that number in 2026.
Through a partnership with Stripe-owned Bridge, Visa intends to expand stablecoin card offerings to over 100 countries by year-end, increasing global accessibility for blockchain-funded payments.
Despite impressive growth, stablecoin-linked cards still account for a minor portion of global payments. Visa processed $14.2 trillion in total payment volume in 2025, meaning stablecoin cards represent only 0.04% of that figure.
While July’s spending highlights rapid adoption, crypto-based card payments remain a small part of the broader financial ecosystem.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
USDC supply on the Stellar network jumped 34.7% over the past 30 days, pushing the stablecoin’s market cap on the chain to $365.5 million. That’s a meaningful surge for a network that has quietly positioned itself as the go-to rail for cross-border payments and remittances.
The growth spurt didn’t happen in a vacuum. It tracks closely with Circle’s deployment of its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol, known as CCTP, on Stellar back in May 2026. The protocol connects Stellar to 23 other blockchains, and it appears to be doing exactly what it was designed to do: make USDC flow more freely across the multi-chain landscape.
What CCTP changes about cross-chain USDC Before CCTP, moving USDC between chains typically meant relying on wrapped tokens or third-party bridges. Wrapped tokens introduce counterparty risk because you’re trusting an intermediary to back the wrapped version one-to-one. Bridges, meanwhile, have been the favorite target of hackers for years, with billions lost to exploits across DeFi.
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CCTP sidesteps both problems by using a burn-and-mint mechanism. When you send USDC from Ethereum to Stellar, the tokens on Ethereum are burned and new ones are minted natively on Stellar. No wrappers, no bridges, no middlemen holding your funds in a smart contract.
The protocol now connects Stellar to major ecosystems including Ethereum and Solana, giving users 23 blockchain destinations in total.
Circle’s data as of August 7, 2026, pegged the Stellar-specific USDC supply at roughly $360.5 million.
Stellar’s quiet rise as a stablecoin network USDC first landed on Stellar in February 2021, following an announcement the previous October. Since then, the network has processed over 4.5 million USDC transactions, with total payments volume crossing the $3 billion mark.
The $365.5 million in USDC on Stellar still represents a fraction of the stablecoin’s overall footprint. Total USDC circulation across all supported chains sits at nearly $72 billion as of early August 2026. Stellar’s share comes out to roughly 0.5% of the total supply.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Travala, a crypto-native online travel agency, is excited to introduce a new way of travelling by bringing the Travala Travel MCP (model Context Protocol) for users. It permits users to search and book travel directly within Claude Artificial Intelligence (AI). The primary purpose of this introduction is to enable users to easily book hotels contextually via Claude AI.
This step of Travala is facilitating millions of users with easy hotel booking processing around the world. With this, users can book over 2.2 million hotels directly inside a Claude AI chat without the requirement of checkout forms. AI and Web3 are bringing facilities and improvements in the living style of users across the world. Travala has shared this news through its official social media X account.
Travala Simplifies AI Travel Booking with Gasless USDC Payments Travala is also offering users context retention, gasless $USDC payments on Base, and User-controlled payment approval. This online booking phenomenon is making its unique place in this advanced-based world along with users’ attraction and desires. These key features provide relief to many users in terms of booking and long waiting times in a queue for booking.
Travala simplifies travel planning while introducing seamless Web3 payments via $USDC on Base. Along with Claude AI conversational booking guidance, it runs the whole system in a systematic and in a proper manner.
Enhancing Online Travel with Claude AI and Secure USDC Payments Travel MCP (Model Context Protocol) is also saving the assets of users by offering gasless fees on stablecoin transactions around the world. In this whole booking process, full command goes to the user, and the user will have to initiate the approval command at the final step.
Bookings are completed only after the user authorizes payment. People strongly agree with this step of Travala in terms of saving money, time, and manual effort for users. This is a landmark step for Travala for users by providing an online booking opportunity. No doubt, this step opens many opportunities for the entire world.
AUTHOR
Crypto journalist with years of experience providing in-depth analysis and news on blockchain and decentralized finance. With a keen eye for detail, Shahzaib delivers insightful articles that explore the latest trends, market movements, and innovations within the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. His work focuses on educating readers while offering expert commentary on the evolving landscape of digital assets, DeFi protocols, and the broader impact of blockchain technology.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Key Highlights Ark Invest acquired 273,343 shares of Circle across three ETFs on August 5, totaling around $17.3 million Second-quarter revenue reached $701 million, representing a 7% year-over-year growth USDC in circulation reached $73.3 billion by quarter’s end, marking a 19% annual gain On-chain transaction activity jumped 151% year-over-year to $14.8 trillion Circle shares finished the trading session nearly unchanged at $63.28, edging up only 0.05% Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest made a strategic move into Circle Internet Group on August 5, coinciding with the stablecoin issuer’s second-quarter earnings release. Circle shares ended the session at $63.28, barely budging with a marginal 0.05% gain, valuing Ark’s aggregate purchase at approximately $17.3 million.
Circle Internet Group, CRCL
The investment firm distributed its purchase of 273,343 Circle shares among three exchange-traded funds: the Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), the Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW), and the Ark Blockchain and Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF).
Within ARKK, Circle already ranked as the ninth-largest position, accounting for a 3.68% allocation with a total value of $223.4 million in that particular fund.
Since Ark’s portfolio guidelines limit individual holdings to a maximum of 10% per fund, the firm had additional capacity to expand its Circle position without breaching concentration limits.
The acquisition occurred amid minimal market reaction, which aligns with Ark’s typical strategy. The firm capitalized on the subdued price movement to build its stake rather than waiting for positive momentum to develop.
Breaking Down Circle’s Q2 Performance Circle reported combined total revenue and reserve income of $701 million during the second quarter, reflecting a 7% increase compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA grew 8% to reach $143 million.
The total USDC supply in circulation stood at $73.3 billion at the end of the quarter, representing a 19% expansion from the same period last year.
Quarterly on-chain transaction volume surged to $14.8 trillion, marking an impressive 151% increase year-over-year. While substantial, this metric doesn’t translate proportionally into revenue generation.
Circle’s profitability continues to depend significantly on reserve income, creating a direct connection between financial performance and both USDC circulation volumes and prevailing interest rates on reserve holdings. This dynamic becomes particularly relevant as interest rate outlooks evolve.
The lackluster stock movement following the earnings report indicates investors may have already anticipated the growth figures, or concerns exist regarding how potential rate cuts might impact future reserve income streams. Regardless, Ark proceeded with its purchase.
Ark’s Entry Strategy and Rationale Ark’s acquisition at approximately $63.28 per share occurred on a trading day characterized by minimal price volatility. This contrasts sharply with the firm’s SpaceX investment executed the same day, where Ark entered during a significant 13.61% decline.
For Circle, the investment thesis wasn’t predicated on catching a falling stock. Instead, Ark expanded an existing position following quarterly results that demonstrated consistent operational expansion, despite limited market enthusiasm.
With $223.4 million already allocated to Circle within ARKK alone, the company represents an established portfolio component. Wednesday’s transaction functioned as a position enhancement rather than an initial investment.
The $14.8 trillion in USDC transaction volume during the quarter underscores expanding adoption of the stablecoin throughout blockchain-based financial activity.
As of August 5, 2026, Circle’s Q2 results represented the company’s latest financial disclosure.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - JANUARY 01: Fireworks explode over skyscrapers during New Year celebrations on January 01, 2026 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
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"Banks have to plug into us to basically get stablecoin liquidity."
That is how Wei Zhou, chief executive of Coins.ph, one of the Philippines' largest regulated crypto exchanges, described his relationship with the banking system in a recent interview. "In the Philippines right now, we have about an order book that trades about $100 million a day of USDT and USDC to pesos," he said. That book sits, in his description, "completely outside of existing banking ecosystem."
Zhou was chief financial officer of Binance from 2018 to 2021 and started out at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong. In 2022 he bought Coins.ph from Gojek, then a consumer wallet.
Asked what actually holds emerging markets back, he gave two answers rather than one. "Two of the biggest challenges ... from sort of just the financial inclusion perspective: one, I think it's just access to capital," Zhou said. "And the other one is basically, once you have access to capital, what's the cost of capital?"
What he thinks foreign investors actually worry about is getting out again. "If I put my money in, how am I getting my money out?"
The fiat node"What I call these fiat nodes, where stablecoins can get traded for local, local fiat currency," Zhou said. "We hope to build more of these nodes as more emerging markets come online."
Under the coins.xyz brand the group now operates in Thailand, Brazil, Mauritius and Australia, and Zhou says a small team in Nigeria is working toward a licence there. "These different touch points sort of sit under different regulated entities," he said, "but then they provide a single sort of ... global ... stablecoin payment business."
On June 1 it signed Clear Junction, giving it euro and sterling collection rails for corporate clients, and it claims 75% to 80% of peso-to-stablecoin liquidity, a company-reported figure. The point of stacking these pieces, Zhou said, is what they add up to. "Once we have a network of these, we can actually present a more holistic solution rather than sort of a single country or a single region. We can basically say, hey, here's a single API."
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There is an accounting argument underneath it too. Whatever currency a client collects in, "it all comes in as USDC," he said. "It doesn't have, like, six different foreign currencies that we sort of take account of."
Raj Kamal, co-founder and CEO of the stablecoin payments firm TransFi, deals with that constraint on the payout side of his own business. "The on-chain leg has to synchronize with the off-chain leg, which is the fiat part where payouts are happening," Kamal said on the On The Margin podcast. That off-chain leg is why stablecoin settlement volume overtook ACH without displacing a single local payout network.
Above groundZhou dates the change to the GENIUS Act, signed in July 2025. "Since the legalization of stablecoins," he said, flows went "from sort of below ground to basically above ground."
The buyers changed with the law. "Not just retail," Zhou said. "Regulated financial institutions in a lot of these countries have sort of moved in, namely banks." American banks began targeting the stablecoin market over the same period.
Neo, chief executive of the onchain neobank UR, put a similar weight on supervision when he spoke on the On The Margin podcast. "Once the governments, the regulators take notice and start policing, that's when things get serious," he said. "That's when I would say like proper companies get built, who are governed well, who are run well because in the end you do handle money."
Owning both ends of the corridorMost cross-border crypto firms, in his account, hand off to a local partner at the border and inherit that partner's compliance.
"Once that money leaves the UK and touches Brazil, then that money basically then has to follow Brazil ... money transmitting regulation," Zhou said. "It's actually better to build from the bottom up so that we know who the customers are and we know how the money flows."
Part of his caution comes from crypto itself. "Once the money's out, then it's really hard to move the money back."
Where Coins.ph holds the licence at both ends of a corridor, the transfer between them stays inside entities it controls. "You’re not relying on someone else's sort of KYC," Zhou said.
Who this is actually forPhilippine cash remittances hit a record $35.63 billion in 2025, about 7.3% of GDP, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The World Bank puts remittances to low- and middle-income countries at $685 billion in 2024, and the average cost of sending $200 at 6.49%.
Zhou's estimate is that 10 to 15 million Filipinos work overseas, as nurses in Singapore and the United States, factory workers in Japan and Korea, and domestic helpers in Hong Kong and the Gulf. "You go to anywhere sort of like in Hong Kong on the weekends," he said. "You basically see Filipino helpers, you know, taking the day off on Sundays. I just think, like, that labor force has historically been underserved and ... overcharged from the fee perspective." The channels he wants to build are "not necessarily to serve the retail audience directly, but actually to help the businesses that serve them."
The second cohort is newer and, he thinks, growing faster. "It's really hard for Filipino remote workers or remote businesses to get a US dollar bank account or a European bank account," Zhou said. What that group wants, in his description, is "to sort of make money globally ... but spend the local." That gap is why Stripe and stablecoins have been rewiring remote work.
Alvin Kan, chief operating officer of Bitget Wallet, watches that customer base from the wallet side of the business. "There are two very clear distinct segments of users. I call them the crypto traders or crypto users and the stablecoin adopters," Kan said on the On The Margin podcast. "To grow, there is a lot of people around the world who are unbanked and need stablecoins."
The moat, and the ceilingZhou's competitive claim is aimed at foreign exchange, an industry the Federal Reserve has already flagged as exposed to stablecoins. "Even the brokers, they still source FX from the banks," he said. "The FX still sits with, like, the JP Morgan and Citibank ... of the world."
His order book swaps dollars for pesos with no correspondent bank in the chain. "For example, on the weekends, banks will close. You can't get into FX," Zhou said. "Whereas our exchange is open on the weekend." The second difference he points to is where the money actually sits. "You don't have to necessarily custody that money at a bank," he said. "That optionality did not exist before."
Neo has built his neobank around that combination. "It's self-custody. The money is yours," he said on the On The Margin podcast. "But at the same time, it's on-chain and off-chain at the same time."
Zhou brings up the question of market depth before it is put to him. Bank dealers quote $3 million or $10 million without moving the price. "One thing that's unique about crypto is, once things go up to the size, price moves," he said. He thinks matching that size is the entire test: "If we can do that in size, the same size of chunks that you can do with a bank," then, in his words, "that is a very defensible position." He has not yet shown it outside the Philippines.
Sami Start, co-founder of the onramp firm Transak, has a flatter read on where these businesses work. "The very boring truth is that the amount of volume and revenue that we see is pretty much just correlated by the GDP of that country," Start said on the On The Margin podcast. A fiat node is worth roughly what its economy transacts.
Zhou, asked to sum up the goal, went back to cost. "Our mission here is actually to use these stablecoin rails to increase access," he said, "but also, secondly, lower the cost of capital."
Over 2.6 billion XRP tokens are now available for sale on Binance, according to data from CryptoQuant. This sharp increase coincides with a period of heightened selling pressure and declining prices for the cryptocurrency.
Sharp increase in XRP supply on exchangesXRP, developed by Ripple Labs as a digital payment protocol, has seen a significant rise in tokens available for trade on Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. As of August 8, the XRP balance on Binance reached 2.61 billion coins.
CryptoQuant reported that this surge highlights an ongoing trend where more XRP tokens are being deposited onto exchanges than withdrawn. This pattern typically signals that investors are preparing to sell, driving up supply and potentially placing additional downward pressure on price.
Recent exchange activity pointed to a situation where more XRP tokens were moved onto trading platforms, suggesting a wave of holders looking to liquidate as market sentiment remained negative.
The increase in exchange supply has occurred alongside a period of uncertainty in the broader cryptocurrency market, further undermining investor confidence in XRP’s short-term outlook.
Mini dictionary: CryptoQuant, a blockchain analytics platform that provides real-time metrics and insights about cryptocurrency exchange reserves, on-chain activity, and investor sentiment.
Market cap drop pushes XRP out of top 4XRP’s market capitalization sank to approximately $64 billion after a steep fall in price over the past week. This decline has pushed XRP out of the top four cryptocurrencies ranked by market cap.
Binance Coin (BNB) has now overtaken XRP in the rankings, and the token currently sits behind both Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC)—the two largest stablecoins by market value. As a result, XRP is now the sixth largest digital asset in the market.
CryptocurrencyPrevious RankCurrent RankMarket CapXRP46$64 billionBNB54N/AUSDT33N/AUSDC65N/ADespite the negative sentiment, XRP experienced a brief upward movement, momentarily rebounding to around $1.04. However, persistent volatility and increased selling indicate ongoing investor caution.
XRP’s rapid drop in price and the shift in rankings reflect both market-wide volatility and waning investor confidence in the asset’s immediate prospects.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
USDC’s circulating supply has dropped from $73.3 billion at the end of June to roughly $71.8 billion as of August 6, a decline of approximately $1.5 billion in just over five weeks. About $1 billion of that evaporated in a single seven-day stretch during late July and early August, pointing to a concentrated wave of redemptions rather than a slow bleed.
The contraction comes at an interesting time for Circle, which just posted Q2 2026 earnings on August 5 showing $701 million in revenue. The stablecoin issuer is making more money than ever while its product literally shrinks.
Supply down, usage up USDC’s circulating supply is still up 19% year-over-year compared to Q2 2025 levels. A $1.5 billion drawdown against a $73 billion base works out to roughly a 2% reduction.
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USDC processed $14.8 trillion in on-chain transaction volume during Q2 2026, a 151% increase compared to the same quarter last year. That’s roughly equivalent to the annual GDP of the European Union moving through a single stablecoin’s rails in just three months.
Where did the money go? The accelerated pace of redemptions in late July and early August, with roughly $1 billion leaving in a single week, does suggest some urgency behind the outflows. Whether that urgency came from a single large redeemer or a coordinated shift across multiple participants isn’t clear from the data alone.
Circle maintains weekly reserve disclosures and monthly attestations from Deloitte, its auditor, confirming that reserves in cash and short-duration US Treasuries match or exceed the outstanding supply. As of the most recent disclosure, that relationship holds.
Circle’s business keeps growing The Q2 earnings release shows $701 million in revenue and reserve income. Circle is essentially running a money market fund that doesn’t share returns with its customers, earning yield on Treasury holdings while paying depositors nothing.
Circle extended its partnership with Coinbase through 2029. Coinbase earns a share of the reserve income in exchange for promoting USDC across its platform.
Circle also secured federal and state trust bank approvals during 2026, a move that positions the company favorably as US stablecoin regulation takes shape.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
NFT project StonkBrokers' floor price rises to 9.225 ETH, surging over 20% in 24 hours.
According to OpenSea market data, the floor price of NFT project StonkBrokers has climbed to 9.225 ETH, surging more than 20% in 24 hours, with cumulative trading volume totaling 1,734 ETH. The project has a fixed supply of 4,444 pixel-style "stockbroker" PFP NFTs (ERC-721 standard). Each NFT is linked to an ERC-6551 Token-Bound Account (TBA). At minting, tokenized stocks (including TSLA, AMZN, NVDA, AAPL, etc.) are pre-deposited, and the account can continue to receive rewards. Via the Anvil NFT AMM, users can swap a random StonkBroker NFT from the protocol vault for a fixed 666,666 units of meme coin STONKBROKER plus a small ETH gas fee; they can also sell an NFT back to the vault for an equivalent amount of tokens. Holders must spend STONKBROKER to "activate" their NFTs. The higher the activation level, the larger the weight of stock token rewards they earn. Part of the activation fee is burned, while the rest goes to the protocol. Fee flywheel mechanism: Around 70% of Anvil AMM transaction fees are converted into real stock tokens and airdropped to activated NFT-bound wallets. BlockBeats reminds users that relevant projects involve high uncertainty and price volatility, so users should exercise caution when investing.
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Jiang Zhuo'er: No signs of a bull market kickoff in funding conditions; a rebound to $68,000–$70,000 may see a final decline.
Jiang Zhuoer, founder of BTC.TOP (formerly LTC Mining Pool), noted in a post that stablecoins in the crypto market are continuing to flow out. Over the past month, USDT’s market capitalization has slipped from $184.2 billion to $183.1 billion, while USDC’s fell from $73.28 billion to $72.15 billion, a total decline of $22.3 billion. The current liquidity situation shows no signs of an imminent bull market. Bitcoin could rebound to the $68,000–$70,000 range at most, before a final drop following the liquidation of short positions.
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To avoid a government shutdown, the U.S. Senate passed a temporary funding bill.
The U.S. Senate passed a temporary measure on Saturday to fund federal agencies through December 11, an effort to avert a catastrophic federal government shutdown weeks ahead of the November midterm elections. According to Fox News, the vote was 90 in favor, 6 opposed, with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) abstaining. The measure does not guarantee a full shutdown is avoided, but it helps prevent a shutdown from occurring on October 1, the start of the government’s new fiscal year. The House of Representatives will still need to reconcile the bill after returning from recess.
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Attacker of Aztec’s private Rollup bridge transfers another 300 ETH to Tornado Cash, bringing total mixed ETH to 500.
According to PeckShield monitoring, the wallet address identified as the attacker of Aztec Network’s Private Rollup Bridge has once again deposited 300 ETH into Tornado Cash, valued at approximately $572,000. To date, the attacker has transferred a total of 500 ETH to Tornado Cash. Earlier, Aztec Network suffered a security breach in June 2026, resulting in losses of around $2.165 million in crypto assets. This fund transfer may further complicate the tracing of stolen assets.
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TUT surges over 55% in 24 hours, with its market capitalization climbing to $40 million.
According to HTX market data, TUT has rallied more than 55% in the past 24 hours, currently trading at $0.04838, with its market capitalization rising to $40 million.
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IMF: Domestic stablecoins may boost demand for U.S. dollar stablecoins
International Monetary Fund (IMF) First Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz said local stablecoins designed to reduce reliance on USD stablecoins may actually accelerate users’ shift toward USD stablecoins. Katz noted that when local stablecoins and USD stablecoins operate on the same blockchain infrastructure, users can swap between them via decentralized exchanges, liquidity pools, or peer-to-peer transactions, which could lower capital conversion costs and shift foreign exchange activities from traditional banks and currency dealers to on-chain platforms. “Local stablecoins could even accelerate the adoption of foreign exchange stablecoins (USD stablecoins),” he said. Citing South Africa as an example, Katz pointed out that while USD stablecoins already have some local adoption there, demand for local stablecoins pegged to the rand is lower. While no definitive conclusions can be drawn yet, users may prefer USD stablecoins due to their higher liquidity, stronger network effects, and broader acceptance across platforms and borders. Katz argued that the impact of stablecoins varies by country context: in highly dollarized economies, stablecoins may primarily replace existing USD-denominated assets; in countries with limited access to USD and weaker economic fundamentals, stablecoins could further increase demand for foreign currency. He called on global regulators to include stablecoin on-ramps, off-ramps, and on-chain trading platforms in their regulatory frameworks to mitigate potential risks.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Regulators across the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Hong Kong are preparing to implement major new policies designed to give authorities the power to identify, freeze, or, in some cases, redirect cross-border stablecoin transfers. Stablecoins—digital assets pegged to currencies such as the US dollar or British pound—are now moving under stricter oversight, aligning more closely with rules applied to traditional financial institutions.
Regulatory push spans global jurisdictionsThese changes will have a broad impact on individuals and businesses sending or receiving payments through stablecoins across borders. Whether for remittances or corporate treasury operations, users of tokens tied to fiat currencies will see increased regulatory scrutiny. Although transactions on the blockchain occur quickly, the entry and exit points—often managed by exchanges—present an opportunity for authorities to monitor and intervene.
A number of major jurisdictions have advanced regulatory frameworks in recent months, with authorities moving from consultation to concrete rulemaking in a relatively short time.
US Treasury focuses on traceability and sanctionsThe US Treasury recently submitted proposed regulations via the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, targeting stablecoin intermediaries and issuers for more comprehensive traceability. The proposals are a part of the implementation of the GENIUS Act, the federal stablecoin legislation, with a particular focus on reducing anonymity in transactions.
The Treasury illustrated the aim of these rules by announcing, on August 7, 2026, sanctions against crypto exchanges accused of supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Another enforcement effort targeted networks allegedly connected to the Iranian regime’s secret currencies. The message emphasized that stablecoins held at exchanges remain subject to sanctions requirements similar to those faced by traditional correspondent banks.
Mini dictionary: GENIUS Act, a US federal law introduced to govern stablecoin issuance and enforcement related to anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance.
UK applies dual-layer regulatory frameworkThe United Kingdom is set to implement a two-tiered approach to stablecoin regulation. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its final rules on June 30, 2026, bringing fiat-backed stablecoin issuance and custody under the Financial Services and Markets Act. Stablecoins used for retail payments, meanwhile, will fall under the Payment Services Regulations, affecting firms authorized on or after October 25, 2027.
In addition, the Bank of England and the FCA, in a collaborative letter, set out criteria for overseeing “systemic” stablecoin issuers—those designated as systemically important by the Treasury under the Banking Act of 2009. The assessment will include factors such as scale, use, ease of substitutability, and future growth projections, expanding regulatory supervision over systemically relevant payment systems.
Mini dictionary: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s main financial regulatory body responsible for overseeing financial markets and protecting consumers.
MiCA drives change in EuropeThe European Union has already put its landmark MiCA law into effect, prompting changes among exchanges operating in the region. Under MiCA, major exchanges were required to remove USDT trading pairs for users in the European Economic Area, while USDC was allowed to remain available to customers. This regulatory approach has resulted in market share changes for these stablecoins.
Researchers Nicola Borri and Kirill Shakhnov found that USDC’s market share moved by 0.82 standard deviations and its relative trading volume grew by 0.54, as USDT volumes dropped in affected markets. Their findings, published in July 2026, concluded that gateway restrictions can significantly influence token usage without disrupting the broader network. The European Commission is reviewing MiCA’s effectiveness and is continuing consultations until at least August 31, 2026.
JurisdictionKey RegulationsMain ObjectiveBrazilDelays on suspicious transfers, tracks cross-border crypto flowsControl transaction speed and dataUSAnti-money laundering, sanctions, customer identification for issuersIdentify and monitor participantsEUMiCA defines which stablecoins are allowedRegulate token accessUKStablecoins fully enter payments regulationTreat as payment infrastructureHong KongLicenses issuers and manages cross-border risksBuild regulated payment railsSouth KoreaPrepares stablecoins for on-chain settlementIntegrates with broader financial marketsThe table shows varied approaches, ranging from controlling transaction speed in Brazil to full payments regulation in the UK. The US is emphasizing identification and sanctions controls, while the EU is focused on setting access rules through MiCA.
Asia eyes capital movementHong Kong enacted its Stablecoins Ordinance in August 2025, following up in April 2026 by approving two bank-backed issuers through its Monetary Authority. Regulated stablecoins are slated for launch before the year’s end.
Officials in Hong Kong have expressed concern that stablecoins could drain deposits from traditional banks and are working on measures to manage cross-border transfers and unregistered digital assets. Christopher Hui, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, said the city’s approach is to apply equal regulation for similar activities and risks. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission confirmed work is underway on a new digital-asset framework that will also cover stablecoins.
Mini dictionary: Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the central banking institution of Hong Kong, regulates and supervises financial institutions and issues banking licenses.
On-ramps and control pointsOfficials point to the role of on-ramps and off-ramps—where users exchange fiat for stablecoins or vice versa—as the main points for regulation. In a test by Italy’s central bank, Banca d’Italia, 200 USDC transfers were sent across 10 global remittance routes. Fees ranged from 0.30% to 8.96%, and transaction times varied from under 20 minutes to two days, with the blockchain itself contributing only a small portion of total costs.
The bulk of transaction friction and expense is found at these fiat-token conversion points. Exchanges, as on- and off-ramps, operate much like correspondent banks and exercise substantial control over access, pricing, and liquidity. Mastercard’s blockchain chief Raj Dhamodharan likened stablecoins to “rails,” describing each coin as similar to a global automated clearing house.
A payment system with clearly identifiable participants presents opportunities for regulatory oversight.
As stablecoins evolve from crypto-market instruments into payment infrastructure, regulators are moving oversight closer to the transaction itself.
While stablecoins initially drew interest for their speed and efficiency, the ongoing shift toward use in mainstream payments is prompting policymakers worldwide to build stricter, more comprehensive frameworks around their operation.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
NFT project StonkBrokers' floor price rises to 9.225 ETH, surging over 20% in 24 hours.
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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
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Moonwell, the decentralized lending protocol, saw USDC borrowing on its Ethereum mainnet markets jump 135% week-over-week, with USDT borrowing climbing 87% over the same stretch. The catalyst: a governance-approved overhaul of the protocol’s interest rate model curves for both stablecoins.
The numbers are striking on their own, but they’re actually a step down from even larger spikes in earlier weeks, when USDC borrowing surged 148% and USDT borrowing rocketed 236%.
What changed under the hood On July 29, 2026, Moonwell’s community passed a governance proposal that adjusted the interest rate model (IRM) curves for its USDC and USDT markets. The proposal also introduced borrowing rewards, meaning users now earn WELL tokens for taking out loans.
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Moonwell currently supports supply, borrowing, and incentive distribution across several assets on Ethereum, including USDC, USDT, ETH, and cbBTC. WELL token incentives are active across both sides of those markets, rewarding lenders and borrowers alike.
Moonwell’s multi-chain footprint The protocol isn’t operating exclusively on Ethereum. Moonwell runs across Ethereum, Base, and Optimism, giving it a presence on three of the more active networks in DeFi today.
One of its more notable tools is USDC Anywhere, which enables cross-network lending. The idea is to let users access USDC liquidity regardless of which chain they’re sitting on, reducing the friction that comes with having capital siloed across multiple Layer 1s and Layer 2s.
The Ethereum expansion itself is relatively recent. Moonwell launched its Ethereum mainnet lending markets in 2026, adding to its existing Base and Optimism deployments.
What this signals for DeFi lending The fact that borrowing increases have been sustained across multiple weeks, even if the percentage gains are moderating from 236% down to 87% for USDT, suggests something beyond pure mercenary capital chasing yield.
The governance mechanism Moonwell used to implement these changes is worth noting. Rather than a core team unilaterally adjusting rate parameters, the IRM curve modifications went through a community proposal and vote.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Circle has launched native USDC on OKX’s EVM-compatible X Layer. CCTP enables USDC transfers without relying on traditional liquidity bridges. Qualified institutions can access X Layer USDC through Circle Mint. The integration deepens X Layer’s role in payments, DeFi and cross-chain trading.
Circle has expanded USDC into the OKX ecosystem by launching native USDC and its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol on X Layer, giving the exchange-linked blockchain direct access to Circle-issued dollars and a native route for moving liquidity between supported networks. The integration matters because it replaces some of the operational friction associated with bridged stablecoins while connecting X Layer more directly to Circle’s institutional settlement infrastructure.
Native USDC removes a layer of bridge dependence Stablecoins can reach a blockchain in two fundamentally different ways.
A third-party bridge can lock USDC on one network and issue a representation of that asset on another.
Alternatively, Circle can issue USDC directly on the destination blockchain, giving users the same native asset that Circle supports for redemption across its official infrastructure.
X Layer now gains the second model.
Native USDC is backed by highly liquid cash and cash-equivalent reserves and is redeemable 1:1 for U.S. dollars through Circle’s supported channels. Circle says the majority of reserves are held through its Circle Reserve Fund, which invests in short-term U.S. government assets and cash.
For developers, the distinction matters because native issuance reduces reliance on wrapped versions of stablecoins whose liquidity, security and redemption paths can depend on separate bridge operators.
X Layer previously supported USDC-related assets and followed Circle’s Bridged USDC Standard, which was designed to give compatible chains a path toward eventual native issuance. The new integration effectively moves the network deeper into Circle’s own stablecoin infrastructure rather than leaving liquidity dependent on external representations.
CCTP changes how liquidity moves between chains The second part of the integration is more consequential for cross-chain activity.
Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol allows native USDC to move between supported blockchains through a burn-and-mint process. When USDC leaves one network, the tokens are burned there and an equivalent amount is minted on the destination chain after the transfer is verified.
That structure differs from a conventional bridge, where tokens are often locked in a contract and a wrapped asset is issued elsewhere.
The practical benefits include:
No duplicate liquidity pools: USDC does not need separate wrapped versions backed by assets sitting inside bridge contracts. Native assets on arrival: Users receive Circle-issued USDC rather than a representation that may trade at a different price or require another conversion. Simpler treasury rebalancing: Institutions can shift USDC across supported chains without maintaining fragmented pools of wrapped stablecoins. Lower bridge-specific custody risk: CCTP avoids the lock-and-mint model that has historically created large pools of assets attractive to attackers. CCTP is permissionless for developers to integrate. Circle says its standard transfers carry no protocol fee, although users still face blockchain gas costs and certain faster transfer routes may include additional charges.
For X Layer, that creates a more direct connection to liquidity elsewhere in the USDC ecosystem.
Why the OKX connection gives the launch more significance X Layer is not operating as an isolated Layer 2.
The EVM-compatible blockchain sits inside the broader OKX ecosystem, giving applications built on it potential access to one of the world’s largest crypto trading user bases. According to the figures supplied for the launch,
OKX serves more than 120 million users globally.
That distribution matters for stablecoin adoption. A blockchain can support technically efficient payments and DeFi applications without developing meaningful liquidity if users have no convenient way to move funds onto it.
OKX already supports transfers between exchange accounts and X Layer, while its wallet infrastructure can send USDC and other stablecoins across X Layer and major EVM networks. The company has also developed gas-subsidized payment functionality that reduces some of the friction associated with moving stablecoins onchain.
Native USDC gives that infrastructure a standardized dollar asset rather than requiring applications to depend on multiple versions of bridged liquidity.
For trading applications, deeper native liquidity can reduce the need to route orders through external pools. That can improve execution when sufficient market depth develops, although the integration itself does not guarantee lower slippage. Actual execution quality will still depend on the amount of liquidity deposited into X Layer protocols and trading venues.
Circle Mint adds an institutional on-ramp The launch also gives qualified businesses another path into X Layer.
Circle Mint allows eligible institutional customers to convert fiat currency directly into USDC and distribute it across supported blockchain networks. Circle says more than $333 billion in USDC has been minted through the service, which is designed for institutions rather than individual retail users.
That creates a different liquidity channel from retail bridging.
A trading firm, payment company or treasury manager can acquire USDC directly through Circle and deploy it onto a supported network rather than purchasing a bridged asset through a decentralized exchange. The reverse process can also provide a direct route back into fiat.
For X Layer, institutional minting and redemption could support larger payment, trading and treasury flows if firms choose to use the network.
DeFi and payments gain a common settlement asset The immediate use cases extend beyond exchange trading.
Native USDC can serve as dollar-denominated collateral for lending protocols, trading venues and other decentralized applications. Developers can also use it for payments where predictable dollar value matters more than exposure to a volatile crypto asset.
CCTP makes those applications more useful when capital needs to move between chains. A lending protocol on X Layer, for example, can receive native USDC originating from another CCTP-enabled network without requiring users to manage a separate wrapped token.
The combination is also relevant to automated financial applications. OKX has been developing infrastructure for AI agents capable of initiating onchain actions and payments, including x402-based payment tools on X Layer.
Native USDC gives those workflows a standardized settlement asset with direct issuer support.
What changes next for X Layer The integration solves an infrastructure problem, but adoption remains the larger test.
Native issuance and CCTP can make capital easier to move, yet the economic impact depends on whether exchanges, market makers, lending protocols and payment applications actually build meaningful USDC balances on X Layer.
Liquidity should therefore be watched more closely than the technical launch itself. Rising USDC supply, deeper decentralized exchange pools and growing CCTP transfer volume would provide stronger evidence that the integration is changing how capital moves through the network.
Circle’s broader strategy is also relevant. USDC was already native on 34 blockchain networks as of May 2026, showing that X Layer is entering an increasingly competitive multichain stablecoin market rather than receiving exclusive access to Circle’s infrastructure.
The next useful indicators will be X Layer’s native USDC supply, CCTP transfer volumes and whether OKX begins routing more exchange-to-chain settlement through the new asset. Those figures will determine whether the integration becomes primarily a technical upgrade or a meaningful new liquidity channel for the OKX ecosystem.
Circle has launched its USDC stablecoin on X Layer, OKX’s Ethereum layer-2 network, extending the stablecoin to an ecosystem connected to one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume.
Circle announced Friday that native USDC and its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) are now available on X Layer. The network is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing applications built for Ethereum to run on it with relatively few changes.
CCTP allows USDC to move between X Layer and other supported blockchains by burning the tokens on the source chain and minting an equivalent amount on the destination chain. The integration supports uses including payments, decentralized finance lending and borrowing, trading and crosschain transfers.
Circle added that eligible businesses can also access USDC on- and offramps through Circle Mint.
The integration brings the world’s second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization to the blockchain ecosystem of a major centralized exchange. OKX recorded more than $975 million in spot trading volume over the past 24 hours, making it the fourth-largest crypto exchange by that measure, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Circle has launched its USDC stablecoin on X Layer, OKX’s Ethereum layer-2 network, extending the stablecoin to an ecosystem connected to one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume.
Circle announced Friday that native USDC and its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) are now available on X Layer. The network is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing applications built for Ethereum to run on it with relatively few changes.
CCTP allows USDC to move between X Layer and other supported blockchains by burning the tokens on the source chain and minting an equivalent amount on the destination chain. The integration supports uses including payments, decentralized finance lending and borrowing, trading and crosschain transfers.
Circle added that eligible businesses can also access USDC on- and offramps through Circle Mint.
The integration brings the world’s second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization to the blockchain ecosystem of a major centralized exchange. OKX recorded more than $975 million in spot trading volume over the past 24 hours, making it the fourth-largest crypto exchange by that measure, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Circle has launched native USDC and its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol on OKX’s X Layer, giving developers and businesses direct access to the regulated stablecoin across payments, DeFi and automated applications.
Summary
Native USDC is now available on X Layer, replacing the need to rely solely on bridged tokens. Circle’s CCTP enables cross-chain USDC transfers without wrapped assets or conventional liquidity pools. The launch expands native USDC support to 36 networks, while CCTP now connects 26 blockchains. Qualified businesses can issue and redeem USDC through Circle Mint on X Layer. Circle launches native USDC on X Layer Circle announced on Aug. 7 that native USDC and CCTP are now live on X Layer, an Ethereum-compatible layer-2 network developed by crypto exchange OKX.
Native USDC and CCTP are now live on @XLayerOfficial by @okx!
PSPs, fintechs, AI agents, and DeFi apps and protocols on X Layer can now access the world’s largest regulated dollar stablecoin for a range of use cases:
→ DeFi activity: Use USDC as collateral to enable onchain… pic.twitter.com/A3PjM1VhMK
— Circle (@circle) August 7, 2026 The integration gives applications on X Layer access to USDC issued directly by Circle. Previously, users primarily depended on USDC bridged from Ethereum, which represents tokens locked on one network and recreated on another.
Native issuance removes that additional bridge structure. It also gives developers a standard version of USDC that can connect with Circle’s broader payment and cross-chain infrastructure.
Payment providers, trading platforms and decentralized applications can use native USDC for transfers, settlements, lending and other financial services. Qualified businesses can also access issuance and redemption through Circle Mint, subject to Circle’s eligibility requirements.
X Layer offers compatibility with Ethereum applications while aiming to provide lower transaction fees and faster settlement. OKX is positioning the network for DeFi, payments, tokenized real-world assets and applications involving artificial intelligence.
CCTP connects X Layer to 26 blockchains Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol allows users to move USDC between supported networks through a burn-and-mint process. USDC is burned on the originating chain before an equivalent amount is issued on the destination chain.
The structure differs from conventional bridges, which typically lock tokens in a smart contract and issue a wrapped representation on another network. CCTP therefore moves native USDC without requiring wrapped assets or third-party liquidity pools.
Following the X Layer integration, Circle said CCTP is available across 26 blockchains. Native USDC has now expanded to 36 networks.
X Layer will continue supporting USDC bridged from Ethereum during the transition. Circle and the network’s ecosystem participants, however, are encouraging developers and users to shift toward the native asset over time.
The rollout could help consolidate USDC liquidity on X Layer instead of dividing activity between multiple bridged representations. It also lets developers build cross-chain applications that connect X Layer with other CCTP-supported ecosystems.
USDC supports payments and AI agents Circle said native USDC can support X Layer’s x402 ecosystem, which is designed for automated payments between AI agents, application programming interfaces and digital services.
Under that model, software agents could use USDC to pay for data, computing resources or online services without requiring a person to approve each small transaction. Developers could also add spending limits and other controls at the application level.
The integration follows Circle’s broader expansion into programmable payments and machine-driven finance. As previously reported by crypto.news, Circle’s nearly 1,000-patent acquisition from IBM covers infrastructure supporting USDC, its payments network, Arc blockchain and tools for AI agents.
For U.S. businesses, access through Circle Mint remains subject to onboarding, compliance and geographic eligibility requirements. The X Layer launch does not automatically make every OKX or Circle service available to all U.S. users.
Circle expands its regulated infrastructure Circle’s network expansion comes as USDC activity continues to grow. Crypto.news reported that USDC circulation reached $73.3 billion during the second quarter, up 19% from a year earlier, although it declined 5% from the previous quarter.
On-chain USDC transaction volume rose 151% year over year to $14.8 trillion, showing that transfer activity grew faster than the stablecoin’s circulating supply.
Circle is also preparing to launch the public mainnet of its Arc blockchain on Sept. 16. BlackRock, DTCC, Mastercard, Visa and other financial institutions will serve as founding validators.
The company recently secured a limited-purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services and final approval for a national trust bank from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Circle plans to move USDC issuance gradually to its New York trust entity, placing more of its stablecoin operations under direct U.S. regulatory oversight.
Circle just built a financial system where the customers aren’t human. The stablecoin issuer launched its Circle Agent Stack on May 11, a suite of tools that lets autonomous AI agents hold assets, discover services, and settle payments using USDC, all without a person clicking “confirm.”
What the Agent Stack actually does The stack has four main components, each solving a different piece of the autonomous-finance puzzle.
First, there’s the Circle CLI, a command-line interface that gives developers (and eventually agents themselves) a way to interact with Circle’s infrastructure programmatically.
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Second, Agent Wallets provide each AI agent with its own USDC-holding account. These wallets come with programmable guardrails, meaning developers can set spending policies, transaction limits, and approval rules before letting an agent loose.
Third, an Agent Marketplace acts as a discovery layer where agents can find services offered by other agents. If one AI needs data cleaning and another AI offers it, the marketplace handles matchmaking while USDC handles settlement.
Fourth, Nanopayments. These are near-instant, gas-free transactions processed through Circle Gateway that can be as small as $0.000001. Six decimal places of a dollar.
The ARC token and a new Layer-1 Circle also announced a successful presale of its ARC token, raising $222 million at a $3 billion valuation.
The ARC token powers Circle’s new Arc blockchain, described as a stablecoin-native Layer-1. Transaction fees on Arc are denominated in USDC rather than a volatile native token, removing the friction of users having to hold one asset to pay fees while transacting in another.
CEO Jeremy Allaire has framed AI agents not as tools that assist human customers but as customers themselves. The Agent Stack makes that framing concrete, with Circle treating software entities as first-class economic participants, complete with wallets, spending rules, and marketplace access.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Callouts Bring Real-Time Alerts to Followers@Pumpfun has embedded a dedicated social trading layer directly into its mobile application, adding a feature called "callouts" that lets users broadcast immediate market alerts to their entire follower base via push notifications.
Pump.fun announced that callouts are now live inside its mobile app, with the feature allowing users to alert all of their followers about a specific coin through push notifications. Each account can make one call every six hours, and users are ranked on a global leaderboard that tracks activity and engagement. The rate limit is a deliberate design choice: each user is limited to one notification every six hours to prevent spamming and encourage thoughtful engagement, according to the platform.
The launch drew immediate attention. The launch of callouts had a measurable impact on the platform, with trading volume on Pump.fun exceeding $113 million in the 24 hours following the feature's introduction. The announcement immediately triggered speculation among traders, and a high-profile callout can draw attention and liquidity very quickly, even if only briefly.
USDC Powers Frictionless Cross-Chain ExecutionAlongside the social layer, the platform is leaning on $USDC to reduce the friction of trading across multiple networks. Pump.fun said the app experience is designed to remove two major frictions in cross-chain crypto trading: bridging and gas management. The platform is no longer positioning itself as only a Solana memecoin venue. It is trying to become a broader multichain trading app built around speed, simplicity, and one-wallet access.
The stablecoin integration also extends to token launches. Pump.fun introduced the option for coin creators to launch tokens with USDC-paired liquidity pools instead of only volatile base assets. Pairing with a stable asset like $USDC reduces price swings driven purely by the quote currency and can support smoother price discovery and fairer distribution for new launches.
While the callouts feature has the potential to boost engagement and liquidity, it also raises concerns about security and impersonation, with some users raising alarms about the risk of malicious actors using the feature to manipulate token prices or deceive followers. Those risks are worth monitoring as the feature scales beyond its early adopters.
Sources:
Yahoo Finance: Pump.fun CEO to Call Low-Cap Gem to Test New Callouts Feature
CryptoNews: Pump.fun Launches Callouts, Founder Tests With Low-Cap Token
Crypto Times: Pump.fun Adds Ethereum, Base and BNB Chain Trading to App
Circle used its second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday to lock in its most important distribution relationship for years to come, renewing its commercial agreement with Coinbase through 2029 and reaffirming that Coinbase will remain USDC's central distribution partner across retail and institutional platforms.
Management paired that announcement with a clear signal on capital allocation: no quarterly payouts to USDC holders. Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Fox-Geen said the company would rather maintain a healthy balance sheet than return capital through routine shareholder distributions, prioritizing reinvestment in infrastructure over near-term yield. The company also more than doubled its 2026 guidance for revenue outside stablecoin reserve income, raising the range from $150 million to between $310 million and $330 million — though that figure includes recognized revenue from a presale of Circle's planned Arc token, meaning the jump shouldn't be read as entirely recurring operating income.
The more consequential number sat further down the call. Circle said its Agent Stack, the company's platform for letting autonomous AI agents make and receive payments, already supports more than 900 paid services, with USDC accounting for 99.3% of payment volume moving through the x402 machine-payment protocol. Executives were careful not to frame agent commerce as an immediate revenue line, arguing instead that AI-driven activity would gradually lift stablecoin balances, payment velocity, and usage of Circle's broader infrastructure over time.
The Coinbase renewal lands at a moment when Circle's core distribution economics have become one of the most scrutinized parts of its business. Coinbase has historically taken more than half of Circle's USDC reserve revenue as a distribution fee — a structure that dates back to USDC's founding as a joint venture and has persisted through Circle's IPO and beyond. Locking that arrangement in through 2029 removes one major source of uncertainty for investors just as Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Circle's stock by 64% this week, citing weaker projected USDC supply growth and margin pressure from tokenized cash products competing for the same reserve-income business.
Circle isn't alone in the agent-payments space it's describing, and we've tracked the field closely since it opened. Circle itself entered with its Agent Stack in May, joining AWS's Bedrock AgentCore Payments and a Google Cloud gateway built with the Solana Foundation in a race that had crystallized within the same week.
Read our coverage of the field's newest and most distribution-heavy entrant just yesterday, when Cloudflare shipped Cloudflare Wallets to sit in front of roughly a fifth of the web by default. Circle's argument for why its own position holds up despite that crowd is structural rather than technical: USDC is the asset every one of these protocols ultimately has to settle in, regardless of which payment standard wins.
The crypto-native exchange is now offering 24/5 trading of nearly 4,000 US equities to UK users, funded by GBP or USDC — the first time a major platform has treated stablecoins as the primary settlement rail for traditional stocks.
On August 6, 2026, Coinbase launched 24/5 US stock trading for UK users. While the headline features — zero commission and a £1 minimum for fractional shares — are familiar to retail investors, the structural innovation lies in the plumbing. For the first time, a major platform is treating USDC not merely as a payment option, but as a primary funding and settlement rail for traditional equities.
The Regulatory Moat This capability is underpinned by CB Payments Ltd, which secured authorization from the UK Financial Conduct Authority in July 2026. Operating under a MiFID-equivalent framework, this authorization serves as a significant regulatory moat. It allows Coinbase to route orders through Coinbase Capital Markets Corporation, with execution and custody handled by Apex Clearing, which provides SIPC protection of up to $500,000 per account. As Keith Grose, Regional Managing Director for UK and Europe, noted, the framework provides the regulatory clarity to enhance the firm’s “Everything Exchange,” bringing crypto, stocks, stablecoins, savings and borrowing together under one roof.
The Everything Exchange Thesis Coinbase is positioning itself to capture the full lifecycle of a user’s capital. The integration of stocks into the platform is a deliberate move to consolidate financial activity. Grose stated, “We’ve made great progress in recent months in building Coinbase into a platform where users can seamlessly access stocks, stablecoins, savings, and more.” This vision is supported by incentives for power users; UK Advanced users now have access to TradingView charting tools and can earn up to 3.5% rewards on trade-ready USDC, while Coinbase One subscribers receive uncapped rewards on USDC trading balances.
Competitive Positioning The UK market for zero-commission US equities is already populated by established players like eToro and Trading 212. However, these incumbents lack the specific infrastructure that defines the Coinbase offering. Neither competitor provides a USDC funding rail, nor do they offer 24/5 trading. By leveraging the stablecoin as a settlement layer, Coinbase is tapping into a broader trend of onchain finance. Circle reported $14.8 trillion in onchain volume during Q2 2026, with USDC increasingly serving as the settlement layer for global commerce. Similar shifts are visible in the integration of stablecoin payout infrastructure via Visa Direct and the rise of stablecoin-first architectures like Cloudflare Wallets.
The Roadmap to Tokenization The current launch is a precursor to a more ambitious goal: the introduction of tokenized equities. According to the Coinbase blog and a post by Grose, the firm plans to offer assets backed 1:1 by US stocks, which will include full shareholder rights and dividends. This represents the logical conclusion of the firm’s current trajectory — moving from using stablecoins to buy traditional stocks to holding tokenized versions of those assets directly onchain.
The integration of crypto-native platforms and traditional finance has moved beyond the experimental phase. By embedding USDC as a structural settlement rail for nearly 4,000 US equities, Coinbase has operationalized a model where the distinction between crypto and traditional assets is increasingly mediated by stablecoin liquidity. The infrastructure is live, regulated, and functional, marking a shift where stablecoin-based settlement is no longer a peripheral feature, but the core of the exchange architecture.
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Bitget's yield vaults on Morph, built with Gauntlet and Morpho, have reached a combined $55 million in total value locked one week after launch.
The bgBTC yield product went live on Bitget Exchange on July 31, followed by a USDC strategy on August 3 through the self-custodial Bitget Wallet. Onchain data shows roughly $32.1 million in BTC collateralized against the bgBTC vault, with $12.1 million in USDC borrowed against that collateral, and a separate $23.2 million deposited in a Gauntlet-managed vault on Morph. Morph provides the infrastructure connecting Bitget users to vault strategies that Gauntlet designs and manages, while Morpho supplies the underlying credit network.
The launch, announced jointly by the three companies on July 31, offers USDC depositors up to roughly 18% APY and bgBTC holders around 3%, with Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol handling bgBTC transfers between Morph's Layer 2 and other chains.
"The future isn't about forcing users to learn new systems. It's about bringing opportunities to where users already are," Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said in the announcement. "By integrating onchain yield directly into the Bitget experience, we're removing friction between holding BTC and putting it to work."
Kate Wong, Morph's liquidity and DeFi lead, told Blockhead that the pace of early adoption signals that demand for onchain yield among centralized exchange users is genuine.
"We can ensure our products are built for that demand by collaborating with trusted curators and credit networks," Wong said. "The next phase is scaling that same model across more assets and more of the products people touch every day, so that digital assets no longer have to sit idle but can be put to work."
Morpho, which holds more than $11 billion in deposits and counts Coinbase, Bitwise and Société Générale among its institutional partners, is the credit network underwriting Gauntlet's vaults. Gauntlet itself manages more than $1.5 billion onchain across over 150 integrations, and Matt Dobel, the firm's VP of growth, said the Bitget deployment reflects the scale it's building toward.
Whether $55 million in TVL after one week holds up as a durable base, or reflects early-adopter incentives around a new yield product, will be the more telling number in the months ahead — particularly as Morph and Gauntlet look to extend the same vault model to other assets.
We’re excited to announce that USDC1 and CCTP are live on X Layer.
X Layer is a Layer-2 (L2) blockchain from OKX that is EVM compatible and supports a wide range of use cases including payments, AI-native workflows, DeFi activity, and more. With over 120 million global OKX exchange users, Circle’s new X Layer integrations aim to bring expanded utility by delivering trusted, interoperable, and regulated1 stablecoin infrastructure to OKX’s large and established trading ecosystem.
With the launch of native USDC and CCTP, X Layer gains access to a widely used and regulated1 dollar stablecoin. This unlocks dollar-denominated payments, crosschain money movement, agentic commerce, DeFi lending and borrowing, and more on a blockchain designed for transaction efficiency and speed, EVM compatibility, and AI-friendly and institutional-grade workflows.
Benefits of USDC on X Layer:
Regulated,1 fully reserved stablecoin redeemable 1:1 for USD2Institutional on/offramps with Circle Mint3 for qualified businessesEasy integration with X Layer apps and protocolsDollar-denominated payments, DeFi activity, and AI-powered transactionsCCTP on X Layer enables developers to:
Securely and efficiently move USDC between X Layer and other supported blockchainsKey use cases of USDC on X LayerNative USDC can help establish a trusted dollar-denominated ecosystem on X Layer. With MiCA compliance, full reserve backing, and 1:1 redeemability for dollars,2 USDC supports settlement, crosschain money movement, AI-powered workflows, and DeFi lending and borrowing. Establishing deep liquidity for USD/USDC trading pairs can support lower-slippage DeFi activity, settlement, and AI-driven applications at the scale institutions and enterprises need. Through CCTP, users and developers can move USDC securely across ecosystems.
Together, native USDC and CCTP can give businesses and developers on X Layer access to regulated1 fiat rails for institutional-grade trading, programmable payments, and DeFi activity.
Popular X Layer apps include: OKX and OKX DEX Bridge.
Bridged vs native USDC on X LayerX Layer also supports bridged USDC (USDC_Bridged), a non-native version of USDC that is bridged to X Layer from Ethereum. USDC_Bridged is not issued by Circle. The X Layer team plans to work with ecosystem apps and protocols to smoothly migrate USDC_Bridged liquidity to native USDC over time.
This gives X Layer the same native stablecoin features that are already available on other supported chains. There is no immediate impact to existing bridges and they will continue to operate normally. Bridged USDC will remain clearly labeled as “USDC_Bridged” in block explorers, app interfaces, and documentation.
Get started todayBusinesses can access institutional on/offramps to convert to USDC on X Layer by applying for a Circle Mint3 account. Individuals and smaller institutions can access USDC through various exchanges, wallets, and providers. Visit circle.com/usdc to learn more.
Get started today with our developer docs for USDC and CCTP. USDC is an open-source, permissionless stablecoin protocol that anyone can build with.
1 USDC is issued by regulated affiliates of Circle. A list of Circle’s regulatory authorizations can be found here.
2 Circle Mint customers are able to redeem USDC directly from Circle. In addition, Circle will redeem all USDC presented to it for redemption in compliance with MiCAR, regardless of whether the holder is a Circle Mint customer. Circle Mint is currently available only to institutions and is not available to individuals.
3 Circle Mint and money transmission services are provided by Circle Internet Financial, LLC. Circle Internet Financial, LLC, NMLS # 1201441, is a licensed provider of money transmission services. A full list of Circle’s licenses can be found here. Circle Mint is currently available only to institutions and is not available to individuals.
Circle has expanded USDC support to X Layer, bringing native issuance of its regulated dollar stablecoin and Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol to OKX’s layer 2 blockchain, the company said Friday.
Built by OKX, X Layer is an EVM-compatible L2 designed to scale web3 applications with lower fees and faster settlement. The network allows Ethereum builders to bring existing applications on-chain using familiar tools while supporting areas such as decentralized finance, payments, real-world asset tokenization, and AI-driven applications.
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With native USDC now live, developers can build dollar-denominated payment systems, lending markets, trading applications, and cross-chain financial products using Circle-issued USDC.
The integration also activates CCTP on X Layer, allowing users and developers to move USDC across supported blockchain networks securely and efficiently. Circle said the combination provides access to trusted stablecoin rails for institutional trading, programmable payments, and decentralized applications.
X Layer will continue supporting bridged USDC from Ethereum, but Circle and the X Layer ecosystem plan to encourage migration toward native USDC over time.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
